Scientists from the University of Perugia found that vaccination against COVID-19 can reduce the risk of thrombosis in people hospitalized for coronavirus. Research published Journal of Hematology.
SARS-CoV-2 primarily affects the upper and lower respiratory tract. However, severe inflammation in severe COVID-19 leads to platelet and neutrophil immune cell dysfunction and blood clots.
Previous research has shown that despite vaccination when infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus, COVID-19 vaccines prevent disease progression and death. The new study included 14 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 who had previously received an mRNA-based vaccine (Pfizer/BioNTech). Their data were compared with a group of 28 patients who were again hospitalized with COVID-19 but were not vaccinated.
About 17% of unvaccinated patients required treatment in the intensive care unit. There was no such patient among the vaccinated. Oxygen saturation was also significantly lower in unvaccinated patients.
Thrombotic events were observed in 14% of those who were not vaccinated and 7% of those who were vaccinated during hospitalization. Death occurred in 21% of the unvaccinated and 7% of the vaccinated patients.
The platelet count did not differ between the two groups. However, platelets and neutrophils were much less active in the vaccinated group than in the unvaccinated group. This is what caused the thrombosis to spread less among those vaccinated.