Coronavirus Qld: Vulnerable Queenslanders urged to continue with AstraZeneca jab

In the wake of a Queensland man suffering a rare blood clotting reaction, Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young has issued advice for those considered vulnerable.

Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young has urged anyone in the vulnerable group to continue with their AstraZeneca jab in the wake of a Queensland man suffering a rare blood clotting reaction after receiving the vaccine last month.

It comes as Queensland records two new cases of coronavirus - both acquired overseas and detected to hotel quarantine.

The state currently has 17 active cases, with 16 of those in hospital, while there have been 1,529 cases in Queensland since the pandemic started.

In the past 24 hours, there have been 185 vaccinations administered, with 136,381 in total.

Meanwhile, authorities warned there had never been a more important time to follow health directions after an outbreak at a West Australian hotel quarantine plunged Perth and Peel into a three-day lockdown and crowds expected at Anzac Day services today.

Health Minister Yvette D’Ath yesterday urged anyone who arrived in Queensland from Perth or Peel on or since April 17 to get tested and quarantine for three days.

“If you have been in WA please check out the sites and venues to see if you’re a close contact,” she said.

Chief Health Officer Dr Jeannette Young. Picture: Annette Dew

Queensland recorded one new case of COVID-19 yesterday which was detected on board a ship from Japan.

Two historical cases were also recorded.

Queenslanders are allowed to travel home from Perth and Peel without an exemption but are required to undertake hotel quarantine.

“There has never been a more important time to follow these directions, we have Anzac Day,” Ms D’Ath said.

She said if the WA lockdown is lifted tomorrow, the government would take Dr Young’s advice about whether quarantine measures should continue in Queensland.

Meanwhile the 49-year-old Queensland man, who suffered from blood clotting, was among three cases being examined by the TGA.

“It’s not absolutely confirmed, but their advice is they believe the most likely cause for those three people to develop the clots they did and the syndrome they did was from that dose of AstraZeneca vaccine,” Dr Young said.

The man was vaccinated on March 29 at a general practice in South Brisbane.

He presented to the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital on April 17 with a clot in his leg and was treated for two days before being discharged.

Dr Young said the man was receiving ongoing treatment but “was well and is recovering”.

“It has not changed the advice about what people should do in terms of coming forward to get vaccinated,” she said.

“To date in Australia we’ve given around 1.1 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine and we’ve seen these six incidents (clots) as a result.”