Tasmania records 462 adverse COVID-19 vaccine reactions

It’s now been revealed how many of the 60,000+ Tasmanians who have received the COVID-19 vaccination so far have had adverse reactions — and what side effects they have experienced. DETAILS >>

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THE Therapeutic Goods Administration has recorded 462 reports of adverse reactions to coronavirus vaccines in Tasmania so far.

The TGA said the figures encompassed all vaccinations within the state up until April 22.

“This includes five reports related to blood clots with the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine,” they said.

However, to date there have been no reports of suspected thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS) in Tasmania despite the AstraZeneca vaccine being linked to the rare type of blood clot which was likely to have caused an NSW woman’s death and three other national thrombosis cases.

A generic image of a patient receiving an immunisation. Source: News Regional Media.

“The TGA is carefully reviewing any Australian reports of possible blood clots following vaccination with the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine to identify any further possible cases of this disorder to better characterise this potential risk,” the TGA said.

However the peak body said blood clots more broadly were a common event experienced by 50 Australians each day.

“For the overwhelming majority of people, developing a blood clot following vaccination will not be related to the vaccine itself but incidental,” they said.

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“The TGA is monitoring the numbers of cases of blood clots being reported in association with both COVID-19 vaccines currently in use in Australia and comparing them against the number of expected events in the population in the absence of vaccination.

“The overall number of reports received is no higher than the expected background rate for the more common type of blood clots in Australia.

The TGA said the top five adverse COVID-19 vaccine reactions were headaches, muscle pain, fever, reactions at the injection site and joint pain.

The 462 statewide cases of adverse reactions were a small portion of the 60,820 Tasmanians who had received the jab as at April 21, with 7.5 adverse post-immunisation reactions reported for every 1000 doses administered in the state.

This figure fell slightly above the national average of 6.7 reports per 1000 doses and was second highest behind Victoria’s rate of 11.6.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison visits the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) to see their AstraZeneca batch release assessment process and thank them for their efforts over many months to assess and approve Australia’s COVID-19 vaccines. Picture: Adam Taylor

Nationally, the TGA will continue to pay close attention to “special interest” adverse events like Anaphylaxis, bleeding disorder, seizure, loss of sense or taste or smell, low platelets, facial weakness and liver injury.

For each of the special interest categories, incidences were extremely unlikely to occur, with anaphylaxis being the most common of the rare special interest events tallying 48 reports Australia-wide.