Scientists tell why some people developed blood clots after AstraZeneca jab

When Covid pandemic hit in 2020, it was definitely scary. All seemed lost until development of vaccines.

Vaccines were a ray of hope. Vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University was one of the initial vaccines that were used against Covid. The cries of welcome were soon turned into apprehension as it was seen that AstraZeneca vaccine caused blood clots in some recipients. Some countries had even stopped administering AstrZeneca vaccines due to this.

It was soon revealed that formation of blood clots was an extremely rare occurence. But the scare was enough to temporarily disrupt global fight against the pandemic.

Now, scientists have pointed at a possible reason behind the blood clots. A team consisting of researchers from Cardiff and US have shed more light on this.

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AstraZeneca vaccine uses Adenovirus to transfer genetic material of coronavirus into cells. According to the researchers, formation of blood clot is related to the way this Adenovirus binds with a specific protein in the blood. This  prtein is known as platelet factor 4 (PF4).

Researchers think that this sparks a chain reaction that leads to formation of blood clots. Formation of blood clots due to the vaccine is known as vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia (VITT).

“Our data confirms PF4 can bind to adenoviruses, an important step in unravelling the mechanism underlying VITT. Establishing a mechanism could help to prevent and treat this disorder," Prof Alan Parker from Cardiff University was quoted as saying by The Guardian.

“We hope our findings can be used to better understand the rare side effects of these new vaccines and potentially to design new and improved vaccines to turn the tide on this global pandemic.”