Mass vaccinations are happening all over the world, with some people preparing for second doses.
While scientists as well as government officials are trying to combat people’s fears about the COVID-19 vaccines, reports of adverse effects are not helping matters.
And now there are reports of vaccine recipients contracting a rare blood disorder that is often deadly.
This week, a report in the NY Times highlighted the story of 36 people getting a rare blood disorder called immune thrombocytopenia (ITP).
These cases are connected to both Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, the two currently approved vaccines in the US.
The issues do not seem to be gender or age specific. And nothing was reported as to whether it was race-specific.
But experts are not sure if the vaccines caused the problem, or if these individuals simply developed immune thrombocytopenia during the time they had been vaccinated.
The development of this blood disorder is shocking scientists because, during clinical trials of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines there was no reporting of thrombocytopenia among the possible adverse events that were seen.
Immune thrombocytopenia causes your blood platelet count to fall.
This causes your body’s immune system to attack its own platelets and restrict the production of platelets.
Bruising and bleeding are common symptoms. Along with nosebleeds, heavier than normal periods, bleeding from the mouth.
One woman exhibited bruising on her legs and arms and bleeding blisters inside her mouth one day after her first dose of the Moderna vaccine. She was treated successfully. But a 56-year-old obstetrician, who developed Immune thrombocytopenia three days after getting the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, died of a brain hemorrhage.