More blood clotting cases reported after AstraZeneca vaccine, TGA confirms

Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration has revealed 12 additional cases of blood clotting, potentially linked to Covid-19 vaccines, have been recorded in the last week.

The TGA said the total number of blood clots with low blood platelets – known as thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS) – linked to the AstraZeneca vaccine has risen to 60.

But it stresses TTS is still extremely rare and that rise correlates to the additional number of doses administered to Australians as the vaccine rollout progresses.

The most common effects of both the AstraZeneca and Pfizer vaccines range from headaches to muscle pain and fevers.

Seven of the 12 new recorded incidents of TTS – of which three are confirmed and nine are deemed “probable” – occurred in people aged 50 to 59.

The three confirmed TTS cases were two women, aged 55 and 65, from Victoria and a 53-year-old woman from NSW.

The nine probable TTS cases were found in a man, 54, from Northern Territory, a 65-year-old woman from Tasmania, 50 and 56-year-old men and a 69-year-old woman from Victoria, a woman, 58, from South Australia, 59 and 80-year-old men from Queensland and a woman, 67, from NSW.

In the week of June 7 to 13 the TGA received 2106 reports of “adverse” effects in vaccinated patients.

After more than 5,867,000 doses have been administered since the roll out began, the rate of someone experiencing adverse effects stands at just five in 1000 people.

Two people have died from blood clotting.

Anyone who has been vaccinated should seek immediate medical attention if they develop any of the following symptoms after vaccination:

The most common time period for onset of TTS symptoms is between four and 30 days after vaccination.

The TGA has compiled a list of the most common side effects for vaccinated people.

“They include headache, muscle and joint pain, fever and injection site reactions,” the report, released on Thursday, states.

“The most common reactions reported for the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine in the week of 7-13 June 2021 were headache, fever, muscle pain, chills and nausea.”

“The most common reactions reported for the Comirnaty (Pfizer) COVID-19 vaccine in the week of 7-13 June 2021 were headache, muscle pain, injection site reactions, nausea and lethargy.”

Officials are continuing to monitor for conditions including capillary leak syndrome and immune thrombocytopenic purpura linked to the AstraZeneca vaccine, but have so far had no confirmed cases.

The Pfizer vaccine has been linked to a higher than usual chance of developing myocarditis (inflammation of the heart) and pericarditis (inflammation of the membrane around the heart) in US studies.

There have been one report of myocarditis and 14 reports of pericarditis in vaccinated people since the rollout began in Australia.