Age- and Sex-Specific Incidence of Cerebral Venous Sinus Thrombosis Associated With Ad26.COV2.S COVID-19 Vaccination

Recent reports suggest a possible association between Ad26.COV2.S (Johnson & Johnson/Janssen) COVID-19 vaccination and cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST). Estimates of postvaccination CVST risk require accurate age- and sex-specific prepandemic CVST incidence rates; however, reported rates vary widely. Here, Ashrani et al compared the age- and sex-specific CVST rates after Ad26.COV2.S vaccination with the prepandemic CVST rate in the population. In the population-based cohort study, they found that the CVST incidence rate 15 days after Ad26.COV2.S vaccination was significantly higher than the prepandemic rate. However, the higher rate of this rare adverse effect must be considered in the context of the effectiveness of the vaccine in preventing COVID-19 (absolute reduction of severe or critical COVID-19 of 940 per 100,000 PY).