Covid 19 coronavirus: Melbourne man’s blood clot condition ‘probably’ vaccine related, but rollout to continue

Australian health officials will continue to administer AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccines after a Melbourne man who had received the injection fell ill with a rare blood-clotting condition.

Friday’s hospitalization prompted an urgent meeting of independent experts on Saturday morning.

But the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunization (ATAGI) and the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) did not recommend changes to the launch of the vaccine, Acting Medical Director Michael Kidd said on Saturday.

He said the disease was “probably” related to the vaccine, but investigations are continuing and there is no definitive evidence of any link.

However, the relatively lower risk of rare cases of blood clotting was less than the risk of Covid-19 outbreaks, Kidd said.

“I need to reiterate that at this time the risk of serious illness and death from Covid-19, if we experience a severe outbreak, especially among older Australians and those with serious health problems, is much greater than the very small potential risk of a disorder. very rare clotting associated with the vaccine, “Kidd said.

Australian officials seeking to quell public fears have pointed to the UK, where millions of AstraZeneca hits have only led to a few cases of blood clots.

With 18 million doses administered as of March 24, UK health officials have found 30 cases of blood clots in people who received the vaccine, according to the BBC.

However, Australians who received the vaccine were urged to watch for symptoms.

Minor side effects, such as fever, muscle pain and fatigue, are not dangerous and can be expected within 24 hours of vaccination and up to a few days after injection, Kidd said.

But any vaccine recipient who experiences “severe and persistent” headaches that cannot be relieved with over-the-counter pain relievers and that occur four to 20 days after vaccination should seek medical treatment, he said.

As of Thursday, about 670,000 doses of vaccines, including versions from Pfizer and AstraZeneca, had been administered to people.