Townsville man, 66, hospitalised with thrombosis linked to AstraZeneca vaccine

A Townsville man in ICU is among five new blood clot cases across Australia likely to have been caused by the AstraZeneca COVID vaccine.

A 66-year-old Townsville man is in intensive care after he developed thrombosis as a “direct result” of receiving the AstraZeneca vaccine.

He is one of five new blood clot cases across Australia linked to the vaccine, which also includes an elderly Tasmanian man in hospital, a 74-year-old man and a 51-year-old woman in Victoria and a 64-year-old woman from Western Australia.

The blood clots have been assessed as thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS).

The total number of Australian TTS cases, following an AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, is 11 out of some 1.4 million administered doses.

A 66-year-old man is in intensive care at the Townsville University Hospital after developing blood clots after receiving the AstraZeneca vaccine.

The TGA said it is also actively investigating a further three possible cases but tests “did not consistently indicate TTS and platelet counts were higher” than the accepted threshold.

“The TGA is working with state and territory health departments to obtain further test results and information about medical history to inform further assessment,” the statement said.

Queensland Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young said the Townsville man presented to Townsville Hospital with abdominal pain shortly after he received his first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine on March 30.

He has since been diagnosed with thrombosis, which occurs when a blood clot forms either in a vein or an artery.

“My thoughts go out to him and his family,” Dr Young said.

Dr Young said the man’s condition had been directly linked to the vaccine.

The man received the AstraZeneca vaccine on March 30. Picture: Dirk Waem

“The TGA, I understand, will announce later today a case of thrombosis following an AstraZeneca vaccination in a 66-year-old gentleman in Townsville,” she said

“He has been admitted to the ICU.

“TGA has confirmed with that his illness is a direct result of the AstraZeneca vaccine.”

Health Minister Yvette D’Ath said the Queensland Government would continue to follow the advice of the TGA.

Head of the Therapeutic Goods Administration Dr John Skerritt said the number of people impacted by rare side effects linked to the AstraZeneca vaccine in Australia is in line with what’s being reported across the world.

Head of the Therapeutic Goods Administration Dr John Skerritt. Picture: Gary Ramage

“[The adverse events] are pretty much along the trajectory we expect. If you are only vaccinating people over 50 years of age, if you’re doing another million vaccinations, and as we heard we expect that by night-time today we’ll be up at 2.5 million vaccinations, so the numbers are increasing and accelerating,” Dr Skerritt said.

“So this is a rare adverse event but we believe it’s staying at the expected frequency and at the frequency that we’re seeing internationally.”

Dr Skerritt confirmed that all five cases had “quite serious and significant underlying health conditions” but there was no common thread between them.

Dr Skerritt also noted that cases of TTS were more likely to be reported in those aged over 50 because they are mainly – with few exceptions – the only ones receiving the AstraZeneca vaccine.

People under the age of 50 have been advised not to get the AstraZeneca vaccine after experts deemed the risk of blood clots too high.