What we know about the super-rare blood clots linked to the J&J vaccine
Experts are figuring out how to rapidly diagnose and treat the unusual clots linked to both the Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca shots.
ByLinda Marsa
Email
Scientists are beginning to unravel what is sparking the rare but severe blood clotting reaction that has now been associated with both the Johnson & Johnson and the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccines.
Called cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST), this condition occurs when clots form in veins that route blood from the brain, causing strokes or other brain damage. Yesterday federal health officials recommended pausing the use of Johnson & Johnson’s single-shot vaccine after reports that six women in the United States suffered from blood clots in the brain within two weeks of vaccination. One of them died; another is hospitalized in critical condition. The pause comes on the heels of similar reports of CVST in patients in Europe who received the AstraZeneca vaccine.