June 8, 2021 ~ MedPage Today ~ by Crystal Phend

Brain Vein Clots Less Likely With Vaccine Than With Severe COVID

— Study provides a better basis for weighing the relative risks

Severe COVID-19 has led to a higher rate of cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST) than COVID-19 vaccination, a study affirmed.

The Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine had a CVST rate of 0.9 per million (99% CI 0.2-2.3 per million) as of April 13, 2021, when the CDC reported six cases out of 6.85 million vaccinated people.

The similar adenovirus-based AstraZeneca vaccine had a rate of 3.6 per million (99% CI 2.7-4.8 per million) by that time in data from the U.K. where it is approved for use, with 77 cases out of 21.2 million vaccinated, Behnood Bikdeli, MD, of Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston, and colleagues reported in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.