Teen needs 3 brain surgeries after rare blood clots linked to Johnson & Johnson vaccine
An 18-year-old woman in Nevada has needed three brain surgeries after developing blood clots linked to the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine, a spokesperson for her family said.
Emma Burkey began feeling sick about a week after receiving the one-dose vaccine early this month, spokesman Bret Johnson said. She was one of six women in the U.S. and the only reported resident in Clark County, which includes Las Vegas, who experienced a serious clotting side effect. One person died.
Burkey was first treated at St. Rose Dominican Hospital in Henderson before being airlifted to Loma Linda University Medical Center in Southern California for specialized care, Johnson said. Burkey suffered seizures and was placed in an induced coma, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported. She is now awake and off a respirator. Her parents, Russ and Kathy, have visited Burkey briefly each day because of COVID-19 restrictions.
A panel with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Burkey and other women experienced headaches and back pain prior to the discovery of blood clots, KVVU-TV reported. The panel said Burkey was given Heparin, a blood thinner. However, the panel and Dr. Anthony Fauci cautioned that blood thinners can make the condition worse.
“The student body and staff here at Coral Academy have heavy hearts as we now know one of our very own students has experienced adverse side effects from the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. In a ‘one in a million’ chance of this happening, we are heartbroken, yet pledge our support to the family during this difficult time,” said Ercan Aydogdu, CEO of Coral Academy Las Vegas. Burkey was a senior at the school.
