Thread by @MPaiMD

🚨🚨🚨 @COVIDSciOntario Science Brief and layperson’s guide for vaccine-induced prothrombotic immune thrombocytopenia (aka. VIPIT) following AstraZeneca #COVID19 #vaccination. Read the 🧵! 1/n

https://twitter.com/COVIDSciOntario/status/1375485661105557514

AZ #COVID19 #vaccine appears to be associated with immune thrombosis that mimics heparin induced thrombocytopenia. It’s rare: 1/125K to 1/1 mill @EMA_News @uni_greifswald @PEI_Germany 2/n

@COVIDSciOntario brief helps clinicians identify, diagnose / rule out, and treat rare serious clots of VIPIT. Please read - and check out the figures for easy clinical reference. covid19-sciencetable.ca/sciencebrief/v… 3/n

Key symptoms are unusual & severe, with clots appearing 4 to 20 days after vaccination, associated with low platelets. Can be diagnosed with ELISA for HIT, and confirmed with functional testing (done at @McMasterU) 4/n

Folks with previous blood clots, low platelets, thrombophilia, family history of clots, pregnant: NOT likely to be at higher risk of VIPIT. Check out @ThrombosisCan and @PDSA_ITP for guidance if this describes you. 5/n

There have been no confirmed cases of VIPIT in Canada, and no confirmed cases of VIPIT with other vaccines authorized in Canada. 6/n

This lay summary will tell you more if you’re not a health care professional. It answers the most common questions (and remember: your best resource is your own primary care provider!) Check it out: covid19-sciencetable.ca/sciencebrief/v… 7/n

The Science Brief is intended to empower health care professionals across Ontario to better understand VIPIT and manage it. Goal is to give essential info to guide clinicians at each step. 8/n

@GovCanHealth states AZ vaccine’s benefits outweigh risk in preventing devastating effects of COVID-19. Health care professionals, scientists & government agencies in ON – and around the world – will continue to monitor safety of this and all vaccines. 9/n

Grateful for time & expertise of folks from many disciplines, practice settings, and perspectives who put this Brief together, and input from the 🌎 worldwide #Hematology Fam. Guidance will continue to evolve as more is learned. 10/n

Strong global vaccine safety surveillance rapidly picked up this rare & serious adverse event. Collegiality, academic rigour, transparency, and medical science will help us manage it. #COVID19 #vaccine #VIPIT 11/11