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FACT BRIEF

Do COVID-19 vaccines trigger blood clots when flying?

By Arijeta Lajka
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There is no known link between blood clots that develop as a result of air travel and COVID-19 vaccines. The blood clots that develop from flying on planes are “totally different” from the rare blood clots reported by a small number of people after receiving certain COVID-19 vaccines, according to Dr. Elliott R. Haut, a deep vein thrombosis expert at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

Such rare clots have been reported in a small number of people who received Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca shots. Those clots form in the veins of the brain or blood vessels in the abdomen, and some scientists suspect they are due to an uncommon immune response.

Clots that develop on flights typically form in the leg, and are often the result of people being cramped, not moving around, or pressurization.  

See a full discussion of this at The Associated Press
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
AP News EXPLAINER: What's known about J&J's vaccine and rare clots
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The Associated Press
The Associated Press is an independent global news organization dedicated to factual reporting. Founded in 1846, AP today remains the most trusted source of fast, accurate, unbiased news in all formats and the essential provider of the technology and services vital to the news business.
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About fact briefs published on Gigafact
Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.