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Two more AstraZeneca-linked deaths in past week: TGA
The latest fatalities mean Australia has now recorded nine deaths linked to the vaccine, compared to more than 1000 COVID deaths.
Fewer than one in a million AstraZeneca doses have led to deaths in Australia. (Image: AAP)
The two AstraZeneca-linked deaths were a 59-year-old Queensland woman who had confirmed thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS), and a 54-year-old man from New South Wales with probable TTS.
Both died following their first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine.
According to the Therapeutic Goods Administration’s (TGA) COVID-19 vaccine weekly safety report, more than 9.6 million AstraZeneca doses had been administered in Australia up until 29 August, of which 125 have led to probable or confirmed cases of TTS (1.3 per 100,000).
Fewer than one in a million doses have led to deaths in Australia.
Meanwhile, at the time of publication on 2 September, 1012 people had died from COVID in Australia from 56,212 confirmed cases (1.8 per 100).
So far in Australia, every TTS case has occurred after a first dose of the vaccine. The TGA reports that women in younger age groups seem to be ‘slightly more likely’ to develop clots in unusual locations, such as the brain or abdomen, which have more serious outcomes.
Six of the eight TTS deaths have been in women, while the AstraZeneca death linked to immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) was also female.
No deaths have been attributed to the Pfizer vaccine in Australia, but a person recently died in New Zealand as a result of myocarditis that the country’s COVID-19 Vaccine Independent Safety Monitoring Board said was probably linked to the vaccine.
There have been 293 reports of suspected myocarditis/pericarditis from the around 9.4 million doses administered in Australia up to 29 August. Nine of these reports were in children – eight boys and one girl, all aged 16 or 17 years old.
The TGA states that data from the US indicates myocarditis/pericarditis occurs at a rate of 10 cases per million first doses and 67 cases per million second doses among children aged 12–17.
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AstraZeneca blood clots COVID-19 myocarditis Pfizer TGA TTS
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