The sharpened theories behind vaccine-related clots
Scientists have a better picture about why these rare blood abnormalities might arise—but they don't yet have a consensus.
We are living in a time of unprecedented vaccine innovation — within a year of the Covid-19 pandemic, the rollout of much-needed vaccines against the deadly coronavirus had begun. But we are also living in a time of unprecedented vaccine scrutiny. And so when news began emerging in February of an extremely rare but sometimes fatal blood abnormality that arose after people received the vaccine against Covid-19 from AstraZeneca, it set off a flurry of activity by drug regulators and health officials to understand whether the link was real, and if so what was behind it. Since then, European health officials have discerned that there is a causal link in these unusual cases, and although the AstraZeneca vaccine is not available in the U.S., a similar wave of confusion and concern emerged among Americans when reports came out of six people (out of millions) who had developed similar clotting complications after receiving the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
There are some emerging theories—some of which already have hard data—that could explain the rare vaccine-related clotting events. I spent the last two weeks speaking with hematologists, immunologists and vaccinologists about the leading theories, and you can read what they say in my new feature article for The Atlantic. Will these rare blood anomalies affect other vaccines against Covid-19? How might solving this mystery help us understand Covid-19 itself? I explore these questions in my article, The Blood-Clot Problem Is Multiplying: So are theories to explain it. https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2021/04/vaccine-related-blood-clot-mystery-must-be-solved/618623/
Speaking of mysteries that are being solved, I also have an OpEd in The New York Times on how scientists are connecting more and more infectious diseases to long-term ailments. Lyme disease is now linked to arthritis. Food poisoning from E. coli can cause kidney deterioration. Untreated strep throat can precipitate heart damage. People with 'Long Covid' have reported many different lingering health ailments, including lung problems but also issues with blood pressure and lingering fatigue (which has drawn comparisons to chronic fatigue syndrome, also known as myalgic encephalomyelitis). You can read my full OpEd here: The Mysterious Aftermath of Infections https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/06/opinion/covid-infections.html
Lastly, if you feel like you need a break from health news, you can catch me talking about particle physics on the nationally broadcast radio program Science Friday. I talk with the host, Ira Flatow, about how a particle known as a muon (also known as a 'fat electron') is breaking the rules and could teach us about the universe. We also discuss how lions might coordinate their behavior via yawning, and why the average temperatures that weather forecasters use are going to be hotter because of a new standard. You can listen in here: https://www.sciencefriday.com/segments/muon-physics-behavior/