Vaccines may be revamped to avoid blood clots, German scientists claim | COVID-19 | Coronavirus

Summary

A study from German scientists may have discovered why some people experienced rare blood clots after receiving AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines. These vaccines use adenoviruses, which can enter the cell's nucleus, leading to the spike protein fragmenting and causing blood clots in rare cases. Scientists propose a simple fix: modifying the adenovirus to prevent the spike protein from breaking apart. Johnson & Johnson is already investigating this. Although the findings are not yet peer-reviewed, the vaccines are still recommended, as their benefits outweigh the risks.

Takeaways

• 🩸 Reports of blood clots among people who received the AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson vaccines almost derailed the vaccination drive.
• 🌍 Many countries stopped using these vaccines, and some still don’t use them.
• 🔬 Experts recommended the vaccines, despite not fully understanding the cause of the blood clots.
• 🧬 German scientists have found a potential cause for these clots and may have a solution.
• 🦠 The vaccines in question are adenovirus-based, which are typically harmless and commonly used for colds.
• 💉 Adenoviruses are used to deliver the genetic message to cells to create spike proteins from the virus, triggering an immune response.
• ⚠️ The problem arises when adenoviruses enter the cell’s nucleus, causing the spike protein to break up, which may lead to blood clots.
• 💻 This issue doesn’t occur with mRNA vaccines, as they deliver the vector to cellular fluid, not the nucleus.
• 🛠 The proposed solution is to modify the genetic message to prevent the spike protein from splitting apart.
• 📊 Although the theory sounds promising, it still requires peer review before conclusions can be fully drawn.

Q & A

What was the main concern about the AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson vaccines?

The main concern was the occurrence of blood clots among people who received these adenovirus-based vaccines.

Why did some countries stop using AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson vaccines?

Many countries paused the use of these vaccines due to concerns about rare but serious blood clotting events, and some have still not resumed their use.

What technology do AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson vaccines use?

Both vaccines use adenoviruses, which are modified to disable their ability to cause illness while still being able to enter human cells to deliver a message for the immune system.

What makes adenoviruses useful in these vaccines?

Adenoviruses can carry genetic information into cells without causing disease, making them an ideal vector for delivering the genetic code to produce spike proteins that stimulate an immune response.

How do adenovirus-based vaccines cause blood clots, according to the study?

The study suggests that the adenoviruses in these vaccines enter the cell's nucleus, where the spike protein breaks up. Some of these broken parts might lead to blood clots in rare cases.

How do mRNA vaccines differ from adenovirus-based vaccines in terms of blood clot risk?

mRNA vaccines deliver the vector to the cellular fluid, not the nucleus, reducing the risk of the spike protein breaking up and causing blood clots.

What potential solution did German scientists propose to prevent blood clots in adenovirus-based vaccines?

The scientists suggest altering the genetic message inside the adenovirus envelope to prevent the spike protein from splitting apart, which could reduce the risk of blood clots.

How has Johnson & Johnson responded to the findings of the German scientists?

Johnson & Johnson has expressed support for continued research and analysis of the rare blood clot events and is working with global health authorities to address the issue.

What is the current stance of health authorities like the WHO and the European Medicines Agency on these vaccines?

Both the WHO and the European Medicines Agency continue to back the use of the AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson vaccines, despite the concerns about blood clots.

What should people keep in mind about these vaccines while awaiting further studies?

While the study is not yet peer-reviewed, the vaccines are still considered effective and the benefits of vaccination outweigh the risks posed by the blood clots, which are rare.

Outlines

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🩸 Concerns Over Blood Clots and Vaccines

Reports of blood clots among people who received the AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson vaccines almost derailed global vaccination efforts. Many countries halted the use of these vaccines, though experts continued to recommend them without fully understanding the cause of the clots. In Germany, scientists now believe they have identified the reason and may have a solution.

🔍 Investigating Vaccine-Related Blood Clots

A group of German scientists have been studying the blood clots and suggest they may have found the answer. While there is a lot of medical jargon involved, they explain that these clots are linked to adenovirus-based vaccines, such as AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson, which use modified adenoviruses to deliver instructions to cells.

🦠 How Adenovirus-Based Vaccines Work

Adenoviruses are normally harmless, causing minor illnesses like colds. Scientists modify these viruses to disable their ability to cause illness while retaining their ability to enter cells, making them useful for delivering vaccine information. In the case of these vaccines, they teach cells to produce the spike protein of the COVID-19 virus, prompting the immune system to respond.

🧬 Problem with Adenoviruses Entering Cell Nuclei

The issue arises when adenoviruses enter the nucleus of the cell, which controls the cell's functions. In some cases, the spike proteins produced by the vaccine can break apart within the nucleus, leading to fragments that may cause blood clots. This complication has not been observed with mRNA vaccines, as they do not enter the cell's nucleus.

💉 Potential Solution for Blood Clot Risk

The German scientists propose a simple solution: modify the genetic instructions in the adenovirus to prevent the spike protein from breaking apart. Johnson & Johnson has already reached out to the researchers and is reviewing the findings as they continue to collaborate with global health authorities to investigate this rare side effect.

📊 Global Impact of Blood Clot Fears

Fear of blood clots has significantly disrupted vaccination efforts, especially in Europe. The UK has reported 309 cases of clots out of 33 million vaccinations, while the EU reported 142 cases out of 16 million. Though health agencies such as the WHO and European Medicine Agency still back the vaccines, some countries, including Denmark, Austria, and Norway, have stopped using AstraZeneca.

🔬 Ongoing Studies and Vaccine Efficacy

While this new study from Germany is promising, it is one of many theories, and conclusions cannot be drawn until it undergoes peer review. However, the vaccines remain effective, and experts continue to emphasize that the benefits of vaccination outweigh the risks. The vaccines are still a critical tool in the fight against COVID-19.

Keywords

💡Blood clots

Blood clots refer to the medical condition where blood thickens and forms clumps inside the blood vessels, which can potentially block the flow of blood and lead to serious health issues. In the video, blood clots are a key concern as they were reported among people who received the AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson vaccines. This condition became a central argument for anti-vaccine advocates and led to countries halting the use of these vaccines.

💡Adenovirus-based vaccines

Adenovirus-based vaccines use adenoviruses, which are normally harmless, as vectors to deliver instructions to cells for building immunity. The AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson vaccines are examples of adenovirus-based vaccines. These vaccines were linked to the blood clot risk because, according to the video, the adenoviruses may enter the nucleus of cells, leading to a breakdown of spike proteins, which can trigger blood clots in rare cases.

💡Spike protein

The spike protein is a crucial part of the virus that allows it to enter human cells. In the context of COVID-19 vaccines, it refers to the protein that vaccines instruct cells to produce to trigger an immune response. The video explains that adenovirus-based vaccines aim to teach the body to recognize the spike protein of the COVID-19 virus, but issues arise when parts of the spike protein break off, potentially leading to blood clots.

💡Nucleus

The nucleus is the central part of a cell that contains genetic material (DNA). In the video, it is mentioned that the adenovirus in these vaccines enters the cell's nucleus, which is problematic because it leads to the spike protein breaking apart, potentially causing blood clots. This entry into the nucleus distinguishes adenovirus-based vaccines from mRNA vaccines, which do not have this issue.

💡mRNA vaccines

mRNA vaccines, such as those produced by Pfizer and Moderna, deliver genetic instructions directly to the cellular fluid without entering the nucleus. This is highlighted in the video as a safer alternative, as it eliminates the risk of spike protein fragments breaking apart, which can occur with adenovirus-based vaccines. The video contrasts mRNA vaccines with adenovirus-based vaccines to explain why blood clots are not a concern with mRNA vaccines.

💡Peer review

Peer review is the process by which scientific research is evaluated by independent experts before being accepted for publication. The video mentions that the German scientists' study explaining the cause of blood clots has not yet undergone peer review, meaning the findings have not been validated by the broader scientific community. This highlights the tentative nature of the results until further scrutiny is applied.

💡Ammunition for anti-vaxxers

This phrase refers to how the issue of blood clots was used by anti-vaccine advocates to criticize COVID-19 vaccination efforts. The video suggests that the discovery of blood clot risks with certain vaccines gave anti-vaxxers more arguments to oppose vaccination, even though these events were rare and the vaccines were still considered effective by health agencies.

💡Statistical event

A statistical event refers to an occurrence that is rare or unusual but possible within a large enough population. In the video, the blood clot incidents are described as statistical events, meaning they are rare occurrences among the millions of people who received the AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson vaccines. This frames the blood clot issue as a low-probability risk, rather than a widespread problem.

💡Denmark, Austria, and Norway

These countries are mentioned in the video as examples of nations that have stopped using AstraZeneca's vaccine due to concerns over blood clots. Their actions highlight the significant impact the blood clot issue had on vaccination campaigns, especially in Europe, and reflect the varying responses to these health concerns across different countries.

💡European Medicines Agency (EMA)

The EMA is the regulatory body responsible for evaluating and approving medicines in the European Union. In the video, the EMA, along with the World Health Organization (WHO), is said to have supported the continued use of the AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson vaccines despite the blood clot concerns, indicating that they considered the benefits of vaccination to outweigh the risks.

Highlights

Reports of blood clots associated with AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson vaccines nearly derailed the vaccination drive.

Many countries stopped using AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson vaccines; some still don't use them.

Experts continued recommending these vaccines despite uncertainty about the cause of the blood clots.

A group of German scientists may have discovered the cause of the blood clots and proposed a solution.

Adenovirus-based vaccines like AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson were linked to these clotting events.

Adenoviruses, typically harmless viruses, are used as vectors to deliver genetic information to cells in these vaccines.

The problem with these vaccines: adenoviruses were entering the cell's nucleus, where they aren't supposed to go.

Once inside the nucleus, the spike protein breaks apart, and fragments can cause blood clots in rare cases.

mRNA vaccines, like Pfizer and Moderna, don't have this issue because their vectors don't enter the cell's nucleus.

The proposed solution is to modify the genetic message in the adenovirus to prevent the spike protein from breaking apart.

Johnson & Johnson has reached out to the scientists and is supporting continued research on this rare clotting event.

The clotting issue has caused vaccine hesitancy, especially in Europe, despite the low number of cases.

Denmark, Austria, and Norway have stopped using AstraZeneca's vaccine due to the clotting concerns.

The theory from German scientists is still under peer review, so no conclusions can be definitively drawn yet.

Despite the clotting risks, the vaccines are still considered effective, and their benefits outweigh the risks.

Transcripts

reports of blood clots among people who

got the astrozenic and johnson and

johnson vaccine nearly derailed the

vaccination drive

many countries stopped using these two

vaccines some of them still don't but

experts kept recommending these jabs

even though they had no idea what was

causing these blood clots in germany now

a group of scientists say

they may have cracked the code and turns

out they even have a solution for it

here's a report it's the side effect

that almost

killed a vaccine a condition that became

ammunition for anti-vaxxers

the blood clot is it really a side

effect

a statistical event or just mass

hysteria

a group of german scientists may have

the answer

there's a lot of medical jargon here so

try to keep

up the clot risks were linked to two

vaccines astrazeneca

and johnson and johnson both of them

are adenovirus-based vaccines here's a

quick

explainer adenoviruses are the harmless

kind

like the ones that give you a cold or a

fever

nothing life-threatening scientists can

actually hack these adenoviruses

disable their ability to cause illness

and retain their capacity

to enter cells this makes them the

perfect vector

think of adenoviruses as an envelope

inside this envelope is a message

it teaches our cells how to grow the

spike proteins of the wuhan virus

not the virus itself just the spike

proteins

once our body sees this foreign object

it gets to work

it's pretty impressive technology but

the current lot of vaccines have one

problem

the adenoviruses are entering the cell's

nucleus

think of it as the heart and brain of

your cells

weak or not the viruses entering the

cell's nucleus

is bad news once this happens the spike

protein

breaks up and part of it float around in

your body

in some rare cases these broken parts

can lead to blood clots

what about mrna vaccines they deliver

the vector to the cellular fluid

so the question of entering the nucleus

doesn't arise

this study is yet to be peer-reviewed

but if this is indeed causing the blood

clots

what is the solution scientists in

germany make it sound

ridiculously easy just tell the spike

protein

not to split apart how by changing the

genetic message

inside the adenovirus envelope

johnson johnson has already reached out

to the scientists

the company said we are supporting

continued research and analysis of this

rare event

as we work with medical experts and

global health authorities

we look forward to reviewing and sharing

data as it becomes available

blood clot fears have disrupted

vaccination especially in europe

the uk has reported 309 cases

in 33 million people the european union

has reported 142 cases

in 16 million recipients

both the who and the european medicine

agency

back the vaccines but hesitancy remains

denmark austria and norway have stopped

using astrazeneca's jabs

this theory from germany is one among

dozens like every scientific study this

one too sounds solid but

until the peer review is complete we

can't draw

conclusions except maybe this one the

vaccines

still work the cure is better than the

disease

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