The Australian Thursday, May 6, 2021
Professor John Skerritt says just 11 people have suffered blood clots after receiving a COVID-19 vaccine with four having left hospital. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gary Ramage
REPORTER
- NCA NEWSWIRE
- AN HOUR AGO MAY 6, 2021
The AstraZeneca vaccine is being blamed for five new blood clot cases that include a 66-year-old Townsville man currently in ICU and an elderly Tasmanian man in hospital.
The blood clots have been assessed as thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS) and are likely to be linked to the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) weekly safety report states.
The five reported cases include a 74-year-old man and a 51-year-old woman in Victoria and a 64-year-old woman from Western Australia and increased the total number of Australian TTS cases, following an AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, to 11 out of some 1.4 million administered doses.
Professor John Skerritt says just 11 people have suffered blood clots after receiving a COVID-19 vaccine with four having left hospital.
TGA Professor John Skerritt said the most recent cases were all in hospital with varying seriousness in their condition.
However, of five previously admitted cases with blood clots, four had been discharged from hospital with two even returning to work.
“All the new people are currently hospitalised and that’s a mixture of both the seriousness of the presentation, but also the importance of them being closely monitored,” he said.
There are treatments such as intravenous immunoglobulin that are given in the hospital situation … the really encouraging news is of the five people who are hospitalised from earlier adverse events, four of them are now at home.”
He said that for every 1000 doses of either vaccine there are between six and seven adverse event reports that range from fatigue to vomiting or a person having presented to a doctor or hospital after being inoculated.
Overall, there have been some 15,000 adverse event reports to COVID-19 vaccines which had “encouraged” the TGA, Professor Skerritt said.
“These reports are the sorts of things that are associated with any vaccination; generally fever, joint pain, muscle soreness, tiredness, maybe even nausea and vomiting,” he said.
For every 1000 inoculations there are about “six or seven” adverse reaction reports lodged, says TGA professor John Skerritt. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gary Ramage
“For the two COVID vaccines … these were expected and found in the clinical trials.
He said, globally, adverse events have been more common after the first dose of AstraZeneca and the second jab of Pfizer.
“It might sound funny but we‘re actually encouraged by the fact, because we want consumers to report adverse events directly to us, whether it’s any vaccine or any medicine.”
He said they had received a 60-fold increase in the number of adverse event reports by consumers this year compared with 2020.
Commodore Eric Young said the number of locations administering COVID-19 vaccines would triple next week as the rollout gained speed, with more than 21,000 doses being administered, on average, daily this week. This number is 5,000 more than in the previous seven days.
“This week we‘ve had an additional state and territory clinics on board, taking the total sites for vaccine (providers) across the country to nearly 5200,” he said.
The TGA said it is also actively investigating a further three possible cases but tests “did not consistently indicate TTS and platelet counts were higher” than the accepted threshold.
“The TGA is working with state and territory health departments to obtain further test results and information about medical history to inform further assessment,” the statement said.
Queensland’s chief health officer Dr Jeanette Young said the 66-year-old man who developed blood clots was inoculated on March 30 with AstraZeneca. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Dan Peled
AstraZeneca said it was aware of the latest Australian blood clots associated with their vaccine and that “tens of millions” of doses of their vaccine had been administered worldwide.
“Patient safety remains AstraZeneca’s highest priority,” the company said in a statement.
“The extensive body of data from two large clinical datasets and real-world evidence demonstrates its effectiveness, reaffirming the role the vaccine can play during this public health crisis.”
Queensland’s chief health officer Dr Jeanette Young revealed the 66-year-old Townsville man’s condition had been directly linked to being vaccinated against COVID-19 at a midday press conference on Thursday.
“The TGA, I understand, will announce later today a case of thrombosis following an AstraZeneca vaccination in a 66-year-old gentleman in Townsville,” she said.
“He has been admitted to the ICU.
“TGA has confirmed that his illness is a direct result of the AstraZeneca vaccine.”
A statement from the Tasmanian Department of Health has said their 70-year-old patient is in a stable condition in hospital.
“The patient, a 70-year old man, reported symptoms seven days after receiving the vaccine. He is currently in hospital receiving treatment and remains in a stable condition,” the statement read.
“Information about the case was notified to the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) for assessment, including to determine whether the case is linked to vaccination.
“The TGA has today confirmed that this case (together with 4 cases from other states) has been assessed as TTS, likely to be linked to the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine.”
The man had his jab on March 30, and soon afterwards developed a reaction which worsened over time.
Dr Young said the Queensland patient had received an initial AztraZeneca jab on March 30 and soon afterwards had a reaction which worsened over time.
“He received the first dose of the vaccine, on the 30th of March, subsequently developed some abdominal pain and presented to the Townsville Hospital, where he was admitted and tested,” Dr Young said.
“It‘s now been confirmed that he is most likely developed that syndrome.”
The incident should not deter people from being vaccinated against COVID-19, said Health Minister Yvette D’Ath.
“Vaccine confidence is really important. We want as many Australians and Queenslanders to get vaccinated,” she said.
“We know that is really important to protect our community … and we will continue to act on the advice of the TGA.”
The news comes as Queensland tightens its borders with NSW following two locally acquired coronavirus cases in Sydney.
Anyone arriving from NSW who has been to one of 19 ‘hot spot’ venues will be sent to hotel quarantine from early Friday morning.
Ms D’Ath said from 1am Friday, anyone arriving in Queensland who had been to any of the 19 venues in NSW, where the two positive cases had visited, will spend two weeks in hotel quarantine.
She said police would vet arrivals and it was a “reasonable” and “proportionate” measure.
“Anyone who identifies as having gone to those venues will quarantine for 14 days,” Ms D’Ath told reporters.
DARREN CARTWRIGHT