BBC Radio Newcastle presenter Lisa Shaw died aged 44 after suffering blood clots following Covid AstraZeneca jab, her family reveal
An award-winning BBC radio presenter died in hospital after suffering blood clots after she received the AstraZeneca vaccine, her family have revealed.
Lisa Shaw, who worked for BBC Newcastle, developed 'severe' headaches a week after having the jab and fell seriously ill a few days later, relatives said in a statement.
Ms Shaw, 44, died at the Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle, on Friday afternoon having been treated in intensive care for blood clots and bleeding.
A fact-of-death certificate lists the vaccine as one of the possible factors, but document does not determine a cause of death. It is expected that will only be released following an inquest into her death.
The presenter was not known to have any underlying health problems and her death came as a devastating shock to family and colleagues.
More than 330 cases of a rare clotting disorder have been spotted among 24.2million recipients of the jab — or around one in every 75,000 people. Fifty-eight patients have died.
What is the risk of getting blood clot after AstraZeneca's jab?
British health chiefs last month recommended all under-40s are offered an alternative to AstraZeneca's vaccine because of blood clot fears.
More than 330 cases of a rare clotting disorder have been spotted among 24.2million recipients of the jab — or around one in every 75,000 people. Fifty-eight patients have died.
But statisticians analysed the numbers and found rates were slightly higher among younger adults, with females appearing to be at most risk, too.
Cambridge academics estimated around 1.9 in every 100,000 twenty-somethings given AstraZeneca's jab would suffer serious blood clots alongside abnormally low platelet levels (thrombocytopenia) — the specific disorder linked to the jab. For thirty-somethings the figure was 1.5.
They compared that against the average number of Covid intensive care admissions that would be prevented by giving that cohort the jab. And they then analysed the risk/benefit ratio in different scenarios, based entirely on how widespread the disease was at the time.
For example, only 0.2 ICU admissions would be prevented for every 100,000 twenty-somethings given the jab at prevalence levels seen in April (fewer than 30,000 infections per week). For adults in their thirties, the figure was around 0.8.
It showed, however, the benefits of giving AstraZeneca's vaccine to 40-49 year olds outweighed the potential risk (1.7 prevented ICU admissions per 100,000 people compared to 1.2 blood clots).
But the decision to recommend under-40s are offered Pfizer or Moderna's jab instead was basically only taken because the outbreak was squashed to extremely low levels, as well as the fact younger people are known to face tiny odds of falling seriously ill with coronavirus.
For older adults, who the disease poses a much greater threat to, the benefits of vaccination are clear, regulators insist. Jabs have already saved around 13,000 lives in England, top scientists believe.
However, because there were so few blood clots, it made it impossible for No10's vaccine advisory panel to give an exact age cut-off. Instead, they were only able to analyse figures by decade.
The first clots to alarm people were ones appearing in veins near the brains of younger adults in a condition called CSVT (cerebral sinus venous thrombosis).
Since that, however, people have developed clots in other parts of their bodies and they are usually linked to low numbers of platelets, which is unusual because platelets are usually used by the immune system to build the clots.
In most cases people recover fully and the blockages are generally easy to treat if spotted early, but they can trigger strokes or heart or lung problems if unnoticed.
Symptoms depend entirely on where the clot is, with brain blockages causing excruitiating headaches. Clots in major arteries in the abdomen can cause persistent stomach pain, and ones in the leg can cause swelling of the limbs.
Some countries have decided to stop using the jab altogether, with Denmark and Norway opting against rolling it out. Other nations have restricted it to certain age groups.
But AstraZeneca's jab isn't the only one thought to cause blood clots. Johnson & Johnson's single-dose vaccine, which has yet to be approved in the UK, has been linked to 28 cases in the US out of more than 10.4million shots.
Researchers in Germany believe the problem lies in the adenovirus vector — a common cold virus used so both vaccines can enter the body.
Academics investigating the issue say the complication is 'completely absent' in mRNA vaccines like Pfizer's and Moderna's because they have a different delivery mechanism.
Experts at Goethe-University of Frankfurt and Ulm University, in Helmholtz, say the AstraZeneca vaccine enters the nucleus of the cell – a blob of DNA in the middle. For comparison, the Pfizer jab enters the fluid around it that acts as a protein factory.
Bits of coronavirus proteins that get inside the nucleus can break up and the unusual fragments then get expelled out into the bloodstream, where they can trigger clotting in a tiny number of people, scientists claim.
The clots — which can occur in the brain — are happening alongside abnormally low platelet levels, known as thrombocytopenia.
Last month, health chiefs said all under-40s should be offered an alternative to AstraZeneca's vaccine because of blood clot fears.
Statisticians analysed the numbers and found rates were slightly higher among younger adults, with females appearing to be at most risk, too.
People under 40 in the UK are being offered an alternative to the AstraZeneca vaccine following reports of extremely rare blood clots on the brain coupled with low blood platelet count.
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) had said the benefits of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine continue to outweigh risks for most people. It has not proven the vaccine causes the clots but has said the link is getting firmer.
Since Shaw's death was announced on air on Sunday, tributes from colleagues and listeners have poured in.
In a statement released by the BBC, the mother-of-one's family said: 'Lisa developed severe headaches a week after receiving her AstraZeneca vaccine and fell seriously ill a few days later.
'She was treated by the Royal Victoria Infirmary's intensive care team for blood clots and bleeding in her head.
'Tragically, she passed away, surrounded by her family, on Friday afternoon.
'We are devastated and there is a Lisa-shaped hole in our lives that can never be filled.
'We will love and miss her always.
'It's been a huge comfort to see how loved she was by everyone whose lives she touched, and we ask for privacy at this time to allow us to grieve as a family.'
An MHRA spokesperson said: 'We are saddened to hear about the death of Lisa Shaw and our thoughts are with her family.
'As with any serious suspected adverse reaction, reports with a fatal outcome are fully evaluated by the MHRA, including an assessment of post-mortem details if available.
'Our detailed and rigorous review into reports of blood clots occurring together with thrombocytopenia is ongoing.'
It said the number of cases remained 'extremely low'.
Shaw previously worked in commercial radio and won a Sony Gold Award in 2012 for the breakfast show she hosted on Real Radio with co-host Gary Philipson.
Rik Martin, acting executive editor at BBC Radio Newcastle, said: 'Everyone at the station is devastated and thinking about Lisa's lovely family.
'She was a trusted colleague, a brilliant presenter, a wonderful friend, and a loving wife and mum.
'She loved being on the radio and was loved by our audiences.
'We've lost someone special who meant a great deal to a great many people.'
Chris Burns, head of BBC Local Radio, added: 'Lisa was a talented presenter who had already achieved a lot and would have achieved much more.'
A spokesperson for the hospital said: 'We were incredibly saddened by the news of Lisa's death but it would be inappropriate for us to discuss individual details about a patient. Our thoughts and heartfelt condolences are with the family at this difficult time.'
The risk of a clot linked to the jab is thought to be about one in 100,000 for people in their 40s. The risk of death in any age due to such a clot has been put at about one in a million.
Scientists have previously said that in some people, the immune system sees the vaccine as a threat and over-produces antibodies to fight it.
These lead to the formation of clumps in the blood, which can become deadly if the clots move towards vital organs and cut off supply.
The complication spooked some countries into turning their backs on AstraZeneca’s jab, with Denmark opting against using it in April. Norway and Austria later followed suit.
Other countries have restricted its use to older adults. UK health chiefs say under-40s should be offered other jabs because the risk of blood clots doesn’t clearly outweigh the benefits.
The decision was made because cases of Covid were plummeting, meaning the risk of catching the disease was tiny. On top of that, younger adults face little risk of falling seriously ill with Covid.
For older people who are at a genuine risk of dying if they catch Covid, the benefits of protection from the virus clearly outweigh any negative side effects, regulators say. The absolute risk of developing clots is around one in 100,000.
But researchers at Goethe-University of Frankfurt and Ulm University, in Helmholtz, say the problem lies in the adenovirus vector — a common cold virus used so both vaccines can enter the body.
They say the vaccines can be adapted to prevent the rare side effect from occurring, reported the Financial Times.
The Indian Covid variant now makes up between half and three quarters of all cases in the UK, Matt Hancock said today.
The Health Secretary said in a Downing Street press conference that the fast-spreading strain is now dominant in Britain, taking over from the Kent variant that had been the most common one since Christmas.
He said the new variant was 'still spreading and the latest estimates are that more than half and potentially as many as three quarters of all new cases are now of this variant'.
An update from Public Health England showed there have been 6,959 cases of the strain confirmed so far, almost doubling from 3,535 this time last week.
It has now been found in 252 local authorities in England out of around 300, showing it has reached most corners of the country.
Dr Jenny Harries, chief of the UK Health Security Agency, said: 'In most areas in England we do know that the new variant, the variant that originated in India, is taking the place of the 117 variant, so it’s something we need to watch really carefully.'
The surging numbers of cases have cast doubt over whether the June 21 end of lockdown will be able to go ahead as planned.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson admitted today that No10 may have to wait for more data before pressing ahead with the easing of the final set of lockdown restrictions, while the Health Secretary told MPs it was still 'too early' to say if the roadmap needed to be slowed down in the face of the mutant strain.
SAGE adviser Professor Neil Ferguson, aka 'Professor Lockdown', said the roadmap now hangs 'in the balance' and his colleague Professor John Edmunds said he wouldn't go ahead with June 21 because it is 'a little bit too risky'.
Health chiefs today recorded 3,542 positive coronavirus tests — the highest figure since April 12 and up by 23.2 per cent on last Thursday's count.
It is the second day running cases have risen by a fifth compared to the week before but Dr Harries said it may be caused in part by surge testing in variant hotspots.
Mother, 25, is put into intensive care coma after 'very rare' reaction to second Covid Pfizer jab caused terrifying anaphylactic shocks
A young mother was put into an induced coma after she suffered 14 anaphylactic shocks due to a very rare reaction to her Covid Pfizer vaccine - but she has spoken out to urge everyone to get vaccinated.
Kirsty Hext, 25, from Havant in Hampshire, also had a seizure and fractured her wrist, leg and cheekbone after falling down the stairs.
The carer - who has been deemed unfit to work - is in hospital after suffering the most recent anaphylactic shock.
Ms Hext, who is waiting to be allergy tested, said she was told by doctors the latest shock was due to a prolonged reaction to her jab.
She said: 'I don't have any allergies so it is hard to understand - one minute I am fine and the next I'm fighting for my life.'
Ms Hext said: 'Before going into the induced coma I was crying out for my daughter as I was petrified I wouldn't see her again.
'I was making plans with my family to help look after my daughter if anything happened to me.'
Ms Hext said she was just 'unlucky' with her reaction and still urges people to get vaccinated as it 'saves lives.'
A spokeswoman for the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), an executive agency of the Department of Health and Social Care, said: 'We are sorry to hear about Kirsty's experience.
'All reports of serious suspected side effects are fully evaluated by the MHRA as soon as we receive them to consider whether the vaccine may have caused the event.
'Severe allergic reactions to the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine remain very rare.
'We advise that those with a previous history of allergic reactions to the ingredients of the vaccine should not receive it.
'Everyone should get their vaccination when asked to do so unless specifically advised otherwise.'
Signs of an allergic reaction may include itchy skin rash, shortness of breath and swelling of the face or tongue.
Anaphylaxis: Extremely rare Covid vaccine side effect
The NHS states that serious allergic reactions to the vaccine are rare.
If you do have a reaction to the vaccine, it usually happens in minutes and staff giving the vaccine are trained to deal with allergic reactions and treat them immediately.
Early safety monitoring of the Pfizer vaccine detected 21 cases of anaphylaxis after administration of 1,893,360 first doses (11 cases per million vaccine doses administered), according to the CDC in the US.
- Source : Henry Martin
