COVID-19: B.C. man hospitalized with AstraZeneca-induced blood clot

Beginning Sunday, every B.C. adult, aged 18 and older, will be able to book a vaccination appointment.

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A second British Columbian has been hospitalized for a blood clot after receiving the AstraZeneca vaccine.

Dr. Bonnie Henry, B.C.’s provincial health officer, said the patient, a man in his 40s who resides in the Fraser Health region, is listed in stable condition after developing vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia.

It’s B.C.’s second case of VITT in less than a week. A woman in her 40s is recovering after being hospitalized for a clot last week in the Vancouver Coastal Health region.

“For some reason, in some people, the vaccine seems to stimulate an immune response that develops antibodies against our platelets. This causes a type of clotting that is different from other types of blood clots … It is a very challenging one to treat,” said Henry.

There have been 28 suspected cases of VITT and four deaths associated with the 2.3 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccine that have been administered in Canada.

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British Columbia has delivered 272,537 jabs of the AstraZeneca vaccine.

Henry said anyone who develops VITT symptoms, which include persistent and severe headaches, pains in chest or abdominal, swelling or redness in limbs and shortness of breath, within 28 days of receiving the vaccine should contact their healthcare provider or call 811.

“Recognizing the symptoms and getting treatment early is important,” she said.

B.C. health officials reported 587 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday along with five additional deaths from the respiratory disease.

There have been a total 137,810 cases and 1,632 COVID-19 related deaths in B.C. since the start of the pandemic.

The are 5,691 active cases of COVID-19 in B.C., including 413 hospitalizations and 141 individuals who are being treated in intensive care.

More than 2.3 million doses of vaccine have been administered so far and more than half of all eligible adults in B.C. have received at least one dose. Just 2.8 per cent of the eligible population have had the necessary second dose.

Beginning Sunday, every B.C. adult, aged 18 and older, will be able to book a vaccination appointment.

Health Minister Adrian Dix urged everyone who was born in 2003 or earlier to register for the vaccination process as soon as possible.

Registration can be completed online at gov.bc.ca/getvaccinated, by telephone through a provincial call centre at 1-833-838-2323 (between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m.) or in-person at the nearest Service B.C. location.

More to come …

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