Do vaccines cause thrombosis and heart attacks?
In this episode, Letícia Sarturi, a scientist with a master's in immunology and a PhD in pathophysiology, addresses the concerns surrounding the association between COVID-19 vaccines and cardiovascular issues such as thrombosis and heart attacks. She highlights that misconceptions and misinformation abound regarding the safety of these vaccines, emphasizing that they save millions of lives worldwide. Letícia references a significant study conducted with nearly 46 million adults in England, published in Nature Communications. This research examined the rates of thrombotic and cardiovascular events following COVID-19 vaccinations, specifically AstraZeneca and Moderna. Surprisingly, the study found that vaccination significantly reduced cardiovascular events. As vaccination rates increased, the incidence of heart attacks, strokes, pulmonary embolisms, and deep vein thrombosis decreased. Vaccines were shown to provide a net cardiovascular benefit by protecting against severe cases of COVID-19, which inherently carry a high risk of thrombotic and cardiovascular complications. The protective effects of vaccination were notably stronger after the second dose and booster shots. This reinforces the importance of keeping vaccinations up-to-date. Despite these findings, vaccine uptake has declined since 2022, particularly with the emergence of the Omicron variant and updated booster shots. There are growing concerns from the World Health Organization regarding the low demand for these updated vaccines and the potential risk of a more aggressive variant emerging. Letícia urges the public to stay vigilant about their vaccinations to maintain community protection against COVID-19.