LAS VEGAS (AP) – An 18-year-old Nevada woman who had seizures after receiving the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine received three blood clot-related brain surgeries, a spokeswoman for her family said.
Emma Burkey began to feel unwell about a week after receiving the single-dose vaccine earlier this month, said spokeswoman Bret Johnson. She was one of six women in the United States and the only resident reported in Clark County, which includes Las Vegas, which had a severe coagulation side effect. One person died.
Burkey was first treated at St. Dominican’s Hospital in Henderson before being flown to Loma Linda University Medical Center in Southern California for specialized care, Johnson said. Burkey was taken out of an induced coma and from a respiratory tract, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported. Her parents, Russ and Kathy, briefly visited Burkey each day due to COVID-19 restrictions.
“It’s slowly improving,” Johnson said. “The word I received from her parents last night was ‘slowly, slowly.’ ”
The US government suspended the use of J&J vaccines last week, just one week after European regulators said such clots were a rare but possible risk of the AstraZeneca vaccine, a similar blow but not has still been approved for use in the United States
Federal health agencies have since investigated whether the vaccine could be the cause of blood clots in women or whether providers should be aware of pre-existing conditions or medications that could lead to complications.
A group with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Burkey and other women suffered headaches and back pain before blood clots were discovered, KVVU-TV reported.. The panel said Burkey received Heparin, a blood thinner. However, the commission and Dr. Anthony Fauci warned that blood thinners could worsen the condition.
“The student body and the staff of the Choral Academy have heavy hearts, because we now know that one of our students experienced side effects due to the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. In a “one in a million” chance of this happening, we are heartbroken, yet we are committed to supporting our family at this difficult time, “said Ercan Aydogdu, CEO of Coral Academy Las Vegas. Burkey was a senior at school.