MELBOURNE (Reuters) – Australia will continue its vaccination program with AstraZeneca PLC, health officials said on Saturday, after a blood clotting case raised concerns about the vaccine’s safety.
A 44-year-old man was admitted to a hospital in Melbourne with coagulation days after receiving the AstraZeneca vaccine and suffered from severe thrombosis, a condition that prevents normal blood flow in the circulatory system.
The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) regulator and a panel, the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunization (ATAGI), met late Friday and early Saturday to discuss further advice on the AstraZeneca vaccine.
“We have not been advised by ATAGI or the TGA at this time to interrupt the rollout of the AstraZeneca vaccine in Australia,” Australia’s Deputy Chief of Medical Services Michael Kidd told a television briefing Saturday afternoon.
However, Kidd said the case of blood clotting “probably” is related to the vaccine.
“The risks of serious side effects remain very low, but safety is paramount and so TAGI and the TGA are continuing to exercise due diligence in this matter,” said Kidd, adding that further announcements were to be made next week.
On Thursday, Britain identified 30 cases of rare blood clots after using the vaccine. Several countries, including Canada, France, Germany, and Spain, restricted their use after similar reports.
Potential complications with the AstraZeneca vaccine rollout could further delay the already delayed vaccination drive in Australia.
Australia launched mass vaccinations for its 25 million people in February, with most expected to receive the University of Oxford / AstraZeneca vaccine as 50 million doses are domestically produced by CSL Ltd.
However, the country has struggled with the program’s rollout, missing its March target of about 3.3 million doses as states and the federal government squabbled over the debt.
The issues follow a year of significant success in curbing the virus, with rapid locks, border closures and rapid tracking, limiting coronavirus infections to nearly 29,300, with 909 COVID-19 deaths.
On Saturday, the state of Queensland, the epicenter of the most recent minor coronavirus outbreak, registered one new infection, health officials said, but risks to the public were minimal as the victim had spent days in isolation.
(Global Vaccination Tracker: Here)
(Interactive graphical tracking of global coronavirus spread: here)
Reporting by Lidia Kelly; Edited by Clarence Fernandez and William Mallard