Â鶹ӰÊÓ

Skip to main content

COVID-19 presents greater blood clot risk than vaccines, study finds

Share
TORONTO -

The risk of developing blood clots is substantially higher and more prolonged if you contract COVID-19 compared to receiving the Oxford-AstraZeneca or Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines, according to a new study.

found that while there is a small increased risk of potentially deadly clots for a short time after receiving a dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine, the chances of such adverse events are nearly 200 times higher if one becomes infected with the virus.

"People should be aware of these increased risks after COVID-19 vaccination and seek medical attention promptly if they develop symptoms, but also be aware that the risks are considerably higher and over longer periods of time if they become infected with SARS-CoV-2," Julia Hippisley-Cox, professor of clinical epidemiology and general practice at the University of Oxford and lead author of the study, said in a .

The study, published Friday in the British Medical Journal, analyzed the health data of over 29 million people in the U.K. within 28 days of receiving their first COVID-19 vaccine dose between Dec. 1, 2020 and April 24, 2021. Approximately 19.5 million received an AstraZeneca dose and 9.5 million a Pfizer shot. Data from these individuals were compared with those from about 1.75 million patients who tested positive for COVID-19 during the same period.

Overall, researchers found the risk of blood clots, low platelet counts and stroke were much higher and more prolonged upon infection with COVID-19 than after receiving a dose of either vaccine.

Researchers estimated that for every 10 million COVID-19 cases or vaccine inoculations, there would be 66 additional cases of blood clots in the veins after a dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine compared to 12,614 among those infected with the virus.

AstraZeneca doses could introduce 107 additional cases of low platelet counts compared to 934 from those with the virus, while the Pfizer vaccine could result in 143 additional cases of stroke compared to 1,699 instances among those with COVID-19.

Jeffrey Weitz, executive director of the Thrombosis and Atherosclerosis Research Institute at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ont., said the risk of clotting after the first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine remains small.

"I think this information should just inform individuals that they need to get vaccinated," Weitz told Â鶹ӰÊÓ Channel on Saturday. "[Compared] to not being vaccinated, your risk of getting a blood clot is at least 10 to 100 times higher."

Many provinces across Canada suspended rollouts of the AstraZeneca vaccine earlier this year due to reports of an increased risk of rare but serious blood clots associated with low levels of platelets. 

CTVNews.ca Top Stories

Unusual flippered feet are making their way into the Saint Lawrence River this weekend. Led by underwater explorer and filmmaker Nathalie Lasselin, volunteer divers are combing the riverbed near Beauharnois in Montérégie to remove hundreds of tires that have been polluting the aquatic environment for decades.

A body has been found in the vicinity where a woman went missing on the Ottawa River near Pembroke, Ont. while kayaking Tuesday night, according to the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP).

A man is facing numerous drug trafficking charges after Dufferin OPP seized a large assortment of drugs and weapons in Orangeville earlier this week.

Local Spotlight

Cole Haas is more than just an avid fan of the F.W. Johnson Wildcats football team. He's a fixture on the sidelines, a source of encouragement, and a beloved member of the team.

Getting a photograph of a rainbow? Common. Getting a photo of a lightning strike? Rare. Getting a photo of both at the same time? Extremely rare, but it happened to a Manitoba photographer this week.

An anonymous business owner paid off the mortgage for a New Brunswick not-for-profit.

They say a dog is a man’s best friend. In the case of Darren Cropper, from Bonfield, Ont., his three-year-old Siberian husky and golden retriever mix named Bear literally saved his life.

A growing group of brides and wedding photographers from across the province say they have been taken for tens of thousands of dollars by a Barrie, Ont. wedding photographer.

Paleontologists from the Royal B.C. Museum have uncovered "a trove of extraordinary fossils" high in the mountains of northern B.C., the museum announced Thursday.

The search for a missing ancient 28-year-old chocolate donkey ended with a tragic discovery Wednesday.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is celebrating an important milestone in the organization's history: 50 years since the first women joined the force.

It's been a whirlwind of joyful events for a northern Ontario couple who just welcomed a baby into their family and won the $70 million Lotto Max jackpot last month.

Stay Connected