Read on Twitter
VITT is a rare but very serious vaccine reaction that will likely change how we use AstraZeneca in the coming weeks. But people who got AZ when the COVID risk was high did a good thing protecting themselves and those around them. Now, the debate is what to do moving forward. 1/ https://twitter.com/UWaterlooNews/status/1391729673193861123
If you're worried about your risk, there are excellent resources being shared by hematologist @MPaiMD who is furiously learning everything she can about VITT and educating the public and healthcare providers to support early identification. 2/ https://twitter.com/MPaiMD/status/1391566674336362497
There are also great infographics from @heysciencesam to help people differentiate between regular vaccine side effects (feeling crappy for 1-3 days after the vaccine) and VITT (vague symptoms of clots developing 4-28 days after the vaccine). 3/ https://twitter.com/DrKateJMiller/status/1391041712433377289
Urban/rural family doc @DrKateJMiller also uses the lightening on a golf course analogy to think through the many different types of risk including how it is changing. Find resources that make sense and resonate with you and your loved ones. 4/ https://twitter.com/DrKateJMiller/status/1391173201623924737
In the weeks ahead, experts will debate AZ and J&J at length in public spaces--especially here on Twitter. This will help them and some frontline healthcare providers. It may help the media and some members of the public too. It may also overwhelm many. 5/
Remember, for every 50,000 people who were vaccinated with AZ, 49,999 will not develop VITT. Even if the risk is higher at 1 in 25,000--that's 24,999 people who won't develop VITT. Rare means very unlikely--serious means healthcare providers need to be on alert. 6/
In 
, AZ has been a gift at a time when our COVID risk was very high--and still is in some places. People getting AZ likely helped to bring down our risk and took pressure off hospitals. Now, mRNA vaccines are flooding into Canada, giving us choices. It's a privilege. 7/
, AZ has been a gift at a time when our COVID risk was very high--and still is in some places. People getting AZ likely helped to bring down our risk and took pressure off hospitals. Now, mRNA vaccines are flooding into Canada, giving us choices. It's a privilege. 7/
Low- and middle-income countries may not be so lucky. For them, COVID may be raging and variants may be brewing. Yet, the hurdles for mRNA vaccines may mean AZ is the only realistic option. Will they be able to reliably identify and treat VITT? 8/
If you got AZ sometime in the last month and protected yourself and those around you, thank you. You did a wonderful and selfless thing in a horrible and scary year. Don't lose sight of that. Your choices are also helping the world learn more about COVID vaccines and VITT. 9/
