At least 36 people developed a rare life-threatening blood disorder called thrombocytopenia after receiving either of the two COVID-19 vaccines authorized in the United States.
One of them, the Miami obstetrician, Dr. Gregory Michael, died after thrombocytopenia caused his platelets to drop to practically zero. He was just 56 years old and died of cerebral hemorrhage just 16 days after receiving the injection from Pfizer.
And doctors ordered Luz Legaspi, 72, not to leave her bed for more than a week, for fear that a blow, bruise, fall or other minor injury could cause similar bleeding and be fatal to her.
Thrombocytopenia has also been seen after other vaccines, and experts suspect that the injection acts as a trigger in some way – they just don’t know why yet.
But so far, the platelet suppressing condition seems extremely rare – affecting only 36 people out of 43 million doses administered in the United States – and scientists theorize that only a small fraction of the population may have any predisposition that could lead vaccines to trigger the blood disorder.
Of 15 people included in a future study, only one had a recent history of low platelet count and there were no clear common lines that predict who may be the few to develop thrombocytopenia after vaccination.
But, with the exception of Dr. Michael, everyone else so far has recovered after treatment.
Dr. Gregory Michael, 56, died of cerebral hemorrhage due to thrombocytopenia 16 days after receiving the COVID-19 vaccine from Pfizer (left). Luz Legaspi, 72, developed the rare blood disorder the day after her first injection of Moderna’s vaccine and had to be put to absolute rest to avoid potentially deadly bleeding (right)
The US is administering about 1.5 million COVID-19 vaccinations a day and only 36 people have developed thrombocytopenia
The vast majority of people who received the COVID-19 vaccines did so without incident.
But between the beginning of December 14th of the launch of the coronavirus vaccine in the USA and January 31st, 36 reports were made to the immune thrombocytopenia monitoring system (ITP) after vaccinations by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) , according to the New York Times.
The database records the incidents that doctors and nurses observe after people get the vaccines, but it does not determine whether or not the vaccines were the cause of the reported problems, known as ‘adverse events’.
No case of thrombocytopenia has been reported during testing of Moderna or Pfizer vaccines.
However, because they are authorizations, cases were linked to each vaccine.
Pfizer told DailyMail.com that it is investigating the death of Dr. Michael, an obstetrician whose wife says she is in good health before his death in December.
“In my opinion, his death was 100% linked to the vaccine. There is no other explanation, ‘she told DailyMail.com in an interview last month, fighting tears.
Dr. Michael received his first dose of the Pfizer injection on December 18 and had no immediate reaction to the injection.
But three days later, he noticed red spots all over his body.
The spots on his body were petechiae, signs of bleeding under the skin.
He went to Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami. During his examination, Dr. Michael remained optimistic and energetic.
But blood tests showed his platelet count – disc-shaped cell fragments that form clots to prevent uncontrolled bleeding – was zero, his wife said.
Anything below 150,000 would be considered thrombocytopenia, but Dr. Michael’s condition was dire.
Transfusions and other attempts to restore his platelets failed during his two weeks in the hospital, and Dr. Michael died of cerebral hemorrhage.
Luz Legaspi, 72, was healthy and ready to be vaccinated in January, when she received her first dose of Moderna.
But the next day, she woke up with her legs and arms covered in petechiae and bloody bubbles inside her mouth, according to the New York Times.
She was admitted to the hospital in Elmhurst, Queens, New York City.
At the time, Legaspi’s platelet count was zero and she was ordered not to get out of bed to avoid falling or being hurt. Even a normally harmless hematoma can cause bleeding when someone does not have platelets to stop the bleeding.
In adults, thrombocytopenia can be caused by a cord disease, some cancer treatments and alcoholism.
But some forms are also the result of an autoimmune condition, in which the immune system mistakenly attacks and destroys healthy platelets instead of legitimate threats and pathogens. Sometimes, thrombocytopenia arises after viral infections.
In these cases, platelet transfusions are usually treated with steroids and immunoglobulins – treatment that aims to prevent the spleen from destroying platelets, as in thrombocytopenia.
Legaspi received these treatments, but was still not improving 10 days after she was admitted to the hospital.
Michael’s wife, Heidi Neckelman (left), said her husband’s death was “due to a strong reaction” to the vaccine. In the photo: Dr. Michael with his wife Heidi and daughter
“I don’t think she understands that it’s like a time bomb,” said her daughter, who did not reveal her name at the employer’s request, to the Times on Legaspi’s ninth day at the hospital.
‘I don’t use the term. I don’t want to tell her that. ‘
Surprisingly, one of the leading specialists in the rare condition noticed Legaspi’s terrible and stagnant condition and contacted his doctor in Elmhurst.
Dr. James Bussel, a pediatrician and specialist in immune thrombocytopenia (ITP), which most commonly affects children, advised a change of course, although it is unclear which specific treatment he advised.
In two days, Legaspi’s platelet count was over 70,000 and she was able to return home the next day, February 2nd.
Dr. Bussel and his colleague, Dr. Eun-Ju Lee, studied 15 cases of thrombocytopenia that developed after people took the COVID-19 vaccines.
His article is still being revised for publication in a medical journal.
But he told the Times that there may be some connection not only with the COVID-19 vaccines, but with vaccines in general. It is unclear exactly what.
“It happened after a vaccine is well known and has been seen with many other vaccines. Why that happens, we don’t know, ‘said Dr. Bussel.
‘I think it is possible that there is an association.
“I assume there is something that made people who developed thrombocytopenia susceptible, given the small percentage of receptors that they are.”
Dr. Bussel, and even Luz Legaspi and her daughter, say people should still get the COVID-19 vaccine and, for most, thrombocytopenia will not be a problem.
However, Dr. Bussel, his colleagues, and both Pfizer and Moderna are trying to find out who might have this potentially fatal reaction, so that they can advise these people not to get the vaccine, as US officials have done for people with a history of anaphylactic reactions. to any ingredients in the photos.
