After suffering one blood clot shortly after receiving the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine, a man in Crete then suffered a second one — making his case unique in all of Europe.
Alexandros Metaxakis, a 35-year-old from the island of Crete, suffered his first blood clot eleven days after receiving his first dose of the AstraZeneca shot, which has been linked to rare blood clots, particularly in young women.
Metaxakis had surgery on his leg to treat the clot, and believed his ordeal was over.
Greek man suffered second blood clot after AstraZeneca vaccine
However, shocking both Metaxakis himself and his doctors, the young man came down with a similar blood clot only a few days after surgery, in an extremely dangerous location — his carotid artery, a blood vessel that leads to the brain.
Luckily, Metaxakis was still in the hospital recovering from his initial surgery when doctors realized he had the second blood clot in his neck.
They were able to whisk the young man into surgery quickly, saving his life and removing the blood clot during the 4-hour procedure.
Doctors maintain that Metaxakis is likely the only case of such a double blood clot from the AstraZeneca vaccine not only in Greece, but also in all of Europe.
The man from Crete believes that the rare blood clots are likely linked to the AstraZeneca shot, as he had no other health issues and was not taking any other medication.
EMA: Vaccine benefits outweigh risks
The drug regulatory authority of the EU, the European Medicines Agency, released the results of its intensive investigation into the safety of the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine in April, saying its benefits still outweighed any potential risk of blood clot formation.
The drug regulator admitted that it found a “possible link” between the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine and a rare clotting disorder but EMA officials refused to impose any new age restrictions, saying the benefits of the AstraZeneca vaccine still outweigh risks.
The EMA described the clots which have occurred as “very rare” side effects. It said most of the cases reported have occurred in women under 60, and within two weeks of vaccination.
However, based on the currently available evidence, it was not able to identify specific risk factors.
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