At least 36 people may have developed a rare blood disorder, known as immune thrombocytopenia (ITP), after taking Moderna’s Pfizer and BioNTech or COVID-19 vaccines, according to a New York Times report.
The condition develops when the immune system attacks platelets, a blood component essential for clotting, or the cells that create them, for unknown reasons.
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The cases were reported to VAERS, the government’s Vaccine Adverse Event Notification System, in late January. However, the system relies on individuals to submit reports of their experiences to the CDC and the FDA and does not indicate whether vaccines have actually caused the problems.
More than 43 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in the United States, with more than 32 million Americans receiving at least one dose, according to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. No case of thrombocytopenia has been reported during testing of Moderna or Pfizer vaccines.
A Pfizer spokesman told FOX News that he is “aware of cases of thrombocytopenia in recipients of our vaccine COVID-19” and takes reports of adverse events “very seriously”.
“We are collecting relevant information to share with the FDA. However, at this time, we have not been able to establish a causal association with our vaccine,” added the spokesman. “To date, millions of people have been vaccinated and we are closely monitoring all adverse events in individuals who received our vaccine. Serious adverse events, including unrelated deaths, are unfortunately likely to occur at a rate similar to what would happen in the general population. “
Pfizer noted that the 36 reports do not necessarily mean 36 separate and individual patients had thrombocytopenia after receiving the vaccine, citing the possibility of duplicate entries sent to the VAERS system.
Representatives of Moderna, the Food and Drug Administration and the CDC did not immediately respond to requests for comment from FOX News.
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One of the individuals affected by the disease was Dr. Gregory Smith, a 56-year-old obstetrician from Miami Beach whose symptoms appeared three days after he received the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine on December 18.
Smith’s wife, Heidi Neckelmann, revealed in a Facebook post that he entered the emergency with zero platelet counts and was immediately admitted to the intensive care unit diagnosed with “acute ITP caused by a reaction to the COVID vaccine.”
Immune thrombocytopenia is usually treated by platelet transfusions, with steroids and immunoglobulins – a treatment that aims to prevent the spleen from destroying platelets. However, Neckelmann said the treatments failed to restore Smith’s platelet levels and, after two weeks in the hospital, he died of cerebral hemorrhage.
“He was a very healthy 56-year-old man, loved by everyone in the community, gave birth to hundreds of healthy babies and worked tirelessly during the pandemic,” added Neckelman. “He was an advocate for the vaccine in favor, which is why he did it himself. I believe people should be aware that side effects can happen [sic], which is not good for everyone and, in this case, destroyed a beautiful life, a perfect family and affected so many people in the community. Don’t let your death be in vain, please save more lives by making this information news. “
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Meanwhile, the Times reported that Luz Legaspi, 72, was hospitalized in New York City on January 19 after waking up with bruises on her arms and legs and blisters that bled into her mouth, just one day after receiving her first dose of Modern Vaccine for covid19.
At the time, Legaspi’s platelet count was zero and doctors would have ordered her not to get out of bed for more than a week, citing fears that a blow, bruise, fall or other minor injury could lead to similar bleeding and be fatal.
Legaspi would have received platelet treatment, but showed no signs of improvement after 10 days in the hospital.
“I don’t think she understands that it’s like a time bomb,” Legaspi’s daughter, who did not reveal her name at the request of her employer, told the Times on her mother’s ninth day at the hospital. “I don’t use the term. I don’t want to say that to her.”
However, Dr. James Bussel, a pediatrician and specialist in immunological thrombocytopenia, reportedly heard about his condition and called Legaspi’s doctor on January 28 offering to consult about his care.
In two days, Legaspi’s platelet count was over 70,000 and she was able to return home the next day, February 2nd.
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Bussel and his colleague, Dr. Eun-Ju Lee, recently studied 15 cases of thrombocytopenia that developed after people received the COVID-19 vaccines.
The article, which has been submitted to a medical journal and is currently being revised for publication, provides information about treatments and encourages doctors to report cases, according to the Times. In addition, the study says it is too early to say whether the affected patients will have lasting recoveries or recurrences of the platelet problem.
Bussel told the Times that it is “possible that there is an association” between the disease and vaccines, but that it is not exactly clear what the link may be.
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A 2010 study published in the American Journal of Hematology found that 3.3 per 100,000 adults are diagnosed with ITP per year. The prevalence of ITP in adults is approximately 9.5 cases per 100,000.
According to the Platelet Disorder Support Association, an estimated 50,000 people in the United States successfully live and administer PTI, and most cases are persistent (lasting six to 12 months) or chronic (lasting more than a year). Immune thrombocytopenia sometimes occurs after a viral illness, such as COVID-19.
Health experts at the American Society of Hematology, including Dr. Bussel, recommend that patients with ITP consult their hematologists before being inoculated with the COVID-19 vaccines.
More than 27 million Americans have been infected and more than 467,000 Americans have been killed by COVID-19 since the pandemic began in March, according to Johns Hopkins University.