Two Aussie men in hospital with clots after AstraZeneca vaccines

Two more Australians have developed blood clots after receiving the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine.

The two males, one from Queensland and the other from Tasmania, are believed to be the latest to suffer from the extremely rare side-effect of the vaccine.

The Queenslander, 66, is being treated in intensive care, state Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young said.

The man developed abdominal pains after receiving his first jab in Townsville on March 30.

He was later taken to hospital to be treated for deep vein thrombosis and remains in intensive care.

Dr Young says the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) believe his illness is the direct result of the AstraZeneca vaccine.

Two further incidences of blood clots after receipt of the AstraZeneca vaccine have been revealed. Source: Getty, file.
Two further incidences of blood clots after receipt of the AstraZeneca vaccine have been revealed. Source: Getty, file.

"So of course my thoughts go out to him and to his family, and it's very difficult time for them," she told reporters on Friday.

The Tasmanian health department also announced a 70-year-old man was being treated for suspected blood clotting in hospital. He is in a stable condition.

He reported symptoms seven days ago after receiving the vaccine, authorities say.

11 cases of clotting in 1.4 million doses

Previous confirmed cases of blood clotting linked to the AstraZeneca vaccine by the TGA include a 55-year-old NSW man who died of blood clots on April 21 and 48-year-old Genene Norris who died in NSW last month.

A 35-year-old NSW woman, a 49-year-old Queensland man and an 80-year-old Victorian man have also developed clots linked to the AstraZeneca vaccine by the TGA.

People line up for Covid testing in Queensland.
Two people are in hospital due to blood cots after getting Covid vaccines. Source: AAP, file

Professor John Skerritt from the TGA said on Thursday there had so far been 11 cases confirmed to be linked to the vaccine from 1.4 million doses. Five of those have occurred in the past week.

"Many of those people [the 11 cases] had quite significant underlying health conditions," he said.

Health authorities call for calm over AstraZenec jab

Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly has repeatedly stressed the side-effects of the AstraZeneca vaccine are extremely rare and urged Australians not to hesitate in getting the vaccine.

"We continue to look very carefully at every report of blood clots and to analyse that as to what the cause is," he told ABC Radio earlier this week.

"My clear message is that the benefit of the vaccine outweighs the risk."

Tasmanian public health acting director Dr Scott McKeown said the rate of the clotting as a result of the vaccine was roughly six per million people vaccinated.

Prof Skerritt urged those over 50 to get the vaccine.

"The benefits of this vaccine for the over 50s still very significantly exceeds the risks of this, remember, that," he said.

"And sadly we see that Australia is not immune from community transmission and we're certainly not immune from cases coming in through hotel quarantine.

"Remember that the risk of serious illness or death dramatically increases by every 10 years of age once you turn 10."

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