Back in 2021, ‘reports’ that Covid-19 vaccines resulted in people developing blood clots were all over Facebook and Twitter, fuelling vaccine hesitancy around the world. It seemed like everyone knew someone who knew someone who had died as a result of the jab. In May 2022, when the US restricted the use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine due to the risk of a rare blood-clotting syndrome, it seemed to add credence to the fake news. But a bigger threat was being buried.
‘In between the sensationalised headlines, what many seemed to miss was that the risk of developing blood clots after contracting Covid was much higher,’ says Dr Erin Jones, founder of The Health Hopper and CIO at NOOSi Health.
Statistically, men have a higher risk of developing blood clots, but there are events in a woman’s life cycle that put her at risk.
‘There’s so much information about blood clots to be found on the internet, but not much context,’ says Dr Philippa Ashmore, a clinical haematologist at the HaemTeam medical practice.
