Trainee nurse's surprising request after severe reaction to AstraZeneca
A teenage trainee nurse sought medical attention multiple times after receiving a Covid vaccine, concerned she had become one of 100,000 people to develop blood clots as a result of the jab.
Queensland health worker Ellie Peacock received the AstraZeneca jab on March 31, one week prior to Scott Morrison announcing it would not be recommended for people under 50, Nine's A Current Affair reported.
Eighteen days after being vaccinated, the 18-year-old began experiencing what she believed to be an adverse reaction to the vaccine, so presented to the emergency department.
"I started getting a tightness and an ache in my right calf, along with some red pinpoint spots ... I went to the hospital to the emergency and they did an ultrasound and it didn't pick up anything at that point in time, so I was sent home and just told not to worry at that point," she told A Current Affair.
One week later, she returned to the hospital due to worsening symptoms, including problems with her breathing, and aching in her back and ribs.
After a chest X-ray, she was diagnosed with pneumonia and sent home with some medication.
Unsatisfied with the diagnosis, she attended emergency once more and her GP twice until eventually, the cause of her ongoing illness was revealed.
Three blood clots had formed on her right lung - a possibility that had been ruled out due to the timeline of her symptoms.
"I think I was overwhelmed and exhausted, but I was thankful that I'd finally been diagnosed with something to finally get better," she told the program.
Ms Peacock was a healthy and fit individual with no underlying conditions or prescription medications.
"I think it can affect anyone no matter the health history, or the age because I'm young, healthy, fit, and I don't have a health history," she said.
Still, she has encouraged others to get the vaccine when it became available to them.
"I think people should still follow the TGA guidelines. I'm not an anti-vaxxer. I've never missed a vaccine in my life. I've never had side effects to any other vaccine. This is the first one I've had a reaction to," she said.
More blood clot cases confirmed this week
Ms Peacock will be on medication for the next six months, undergo monthly CT scans and weekly blood tests until the blood clots are cleared.
The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) confirmed to A Current Affair Ms Peacock would be counted among those who experienced adverse reactions to the AstraZeneca vaccine.
A 53-year-old man is being treated in intensive care after receiving the AstraZeneca jab in South Australia on May 4.
There is another probable in South Australia in an 87-year-old woman who is in a stable condition in hospital.
The two SA cases are among six confirmed or probable new cases across the country in the past week, according to the Therapeutic Goods Administration.
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