Al Roker is hospitalized with blood clots in his leg and lungs. The popular Today Show weatherman has been absent from the NBC morning show for two weeks.
On Friday morning, Nov. 18, he informed his Instagram followers that he’s recovering from blood clots in his leg and lungs.
“So many of you have been thoughtfully asking where I’ve been,” he wrote in the caption of a photo of a bouquet of flowers. “Last week I was admitted to the hospital with a blood clot in my leg which sent some clots into my lungs.”
“After some medical whack-a-mole, I am so fortunate to be getting terrific medical care and on the way to recovery.”
Roker continued, “Thanks for all the well wishes and prayers and hope to see you soon. Have a great weekend, everyone.”
Roker’s update prompted speculation that his blood clots were caused by COVID mRNA vaccines and boosters.
In January 2021, Roker shared a video on Instagram that showed him receiving his first Pfizer mRNA vaccine.
He captioned the post:
“And just like that..I have gotten my first of two @pfizerinc #covid_19 shots at @northwellhealth #lenoxhillhospital Shoutout to my bro, @chrisroker who got his second shot at his hospital.”
Blood clots are rare side effects of COVID mRNA vaccines.
According to the CDC, the risk of blood clots caused by the vaccine is greatly outweighed by the risk of complications from COVID-19 infection, such as hospitalization or death.
Blood clots that travel to the lungs from the leg usually develop in the deep veins of the lower leg (calf) or thigh. The condition is called deep vein thrombosis or DVT.
Most DVTs develop in the legs, but can also occur in the arms. DVT is a serious condition that can be life-threatening when the clots break off and travel to the lungs. A blood clot in the lungs is called a pulmonary embolism or PE.
