Acting Chief Medical Officer Michael Kidd says the Therapeutic Goods Administration will hold a meeting on Easter Saturday to discuss a rare blood-clotting disorder in a man who received the AstraZeneca vaccine.
Here are the key moments from Friday:
- Acting CMO Professor Michael Kidd said authorities are taking risk of clotting after AstraZeneca vaccine 'very seriously'
- Two new overseas cases in NT
- Zero new cases in the ACT
- Zero new cases of COVID-19 recorded in WA
- Two new COVID cases in SA medi-hotel
- No new cases recorded in New South Wales
- No locally acquired cases in Queensland in the last 24 hours
- Queensland historical case believed to be the 'missing link' to PA cluster
- No new cases in Victoria in the last 24 hours
Catch up on all the COVID-19 news from Friday as it happened:
Live updates
By Alicia Nally
The blog is closing now
Thank you for reading along.
We will be back tomorrow to bring you all the latest coronavirus updates.
By Alicia Nally
Travelling from Brisbane to South Australia
Can you travel form Brisbane to South Australia?
-Travelling South
From March 29, people who have been in the Brisbane, Logan, Ipswich, Moreton Bay and Redland areas at any time during the period of 14 days before their arrival, are prohibited from entering South Australia unless they are:
- returning South Australian residents
- genuine relocations
- domestic Violence victims
- Essential Travellers
Those are the rules!
By Alicia Nally
NT and ACT cases for today
COVID updates from NT? Or ACT? Always forgotten!
-NT and ACT
We don't forget you! Yesterday's blog definitely had NT and ACT stats in there.
And, I know Kelsie wouldn't have forgotten you the rest of the week.
For today, the NT recorded two new cases in quarantine.
A two-year old female and a 34-year-old female who arrived on the repatriation flight from New Delhi on 25 March 2021 have tested positive for COVID-19.
The child is asymptomatic and the woman has mild symptoms and is under the care of the AUSMAT team at the NT Centre for National Resilience.
Since repatriation flights to the Northern Territory began last year:
- 5987 international arrivals have undertaken quarantine at the Howard Springs Centre for National Resilience.
- A total of 72 positive COVID-19 cases have been reported from international repatriation.
The total number of cases diagnosed in the Northern Territory is 112. All cases have been related to international or interstate travel, with no cases of community transmission.
There were no cases recorded in the ACT.
By Alicia Nally
Gold Coast study session
Are people on the Gold Coast still required to wear masks indoors even if able to social distance, or has this been updated? In a public study space & I’m the only person wearing a mask & wondering if others know something I don’t.
-Mask Wearer
By public study space, do you mean library?
If so, everyone should be wearing a mask, yes.
In all areas of Queensland you must carry a face mask with you at all times when you leave home, unless you have a lawful reason not to. You must wear a mask in indoor spaces, such as:
- shopping centres, supermarkets, retail outlets and indoor markets
- hospitals and aged care facilities
- hospitality venues such as restaurants and cafés (not required for patrons while seated; customer‑facing staff only)
- churches and places of worship
- libraries
- indoor recreational facilities and gym (except if doing strenuous exercise*)
- indoor workplaces (where safe to wear a mask and you can't physically distance)
- public transport, taxis and rideshare, and waiting places or queues for this transport
- when you are in a Queensland airport
- during a domestic commercial flight
- if you are arriving to Queensland from overseas or from a COVID-19 hotspot you must wear a face mask while travelling from the airport until you reach your allocated room in your quarantine accommodation
- if you are a driver of a bus, coach service, taxi or rideshare transporting a person required to quarantine.
By Alicia Nally
From Queensland to Tasmania
I am a Tasmanian wanting to return home. Has the 2 week quarantine been lifted?
-Homeless
If you're in Queensland and have been since just before this latest outbreak, then no, you can't go home without quarantining.
The Tasmania government said they'd reassess the situation on Saturday*.
*Apologies I earlier wrote Tuesday
By Alicia Nally
By Alicia Nally
Central Australia Aboriginal Congress start COVID-19 vaccination program as part of Phase 1B
Congress CEO Donna Ah Chee said they will be vaccinating Aboriginal people over 18 living in Alice Springs and Congress-serviced remote communities in Central Australia as well as their health staff.
"We've been gearing up for this for some time. We know that vaccines – and community immunity – are the way out of the pandemic, and the only way to keep our communities safe from the virus longer term,'' she said.
"The virus is spreading in our closest neighbours and international travel will start again. The only way to prevent severe illness, hospitalisation and death, especially in vulnerable populations, is for those of us who can be vaccinated to do so as soon as we are able."
Aboriginal Health Practitioner Training Coordinator Lynnette O'Bree was one of the first Congress staff members to be vaccinated.
Congress' vaccine rollout will progressively expand over the next two weeks. Congress clients can call 1800 570 688 to make an appointment at the Congress Town Vaccination clinic.
By Alicia Nally
New sites on Queensland Heatlh contact tracing list
Following the Good Friday announcement that a previously unidentified nurse is believed to be the missing link in Brisbane's COVID-19 clusters, Queensland Health has updated the COVID-19 contact list.
The previously unidentified nurse, who also works at the Princess Alexandra Hospital, treated the same returned traveller who infected a doctor earlier in March.
Places visited by the nurse between March 10 and March 17 have been classified as historical casual contacts.
Anyone who has been to any of these locations at the relevant times, including those more than 14 days ago, should get tested immediately if they have COVID-19 symptoms and quarantine at home until receiving the test result.
Anyone who visited the sites but has no symptoms is advised to visit a GP next week to arrange a blood test for COVID-19 serology.
By Alicia Nally
By Alicia Nally
Link to the ATAGI advice for health care workers
Any chance of a link to the ATAGI advice please? Our haematologists will want to know!
-Hospital worker
I'm having issues publishing the direct link so here are the directions:
Go to the Australian Government's Department of Health website, find the NEWS section and the advice is the latest one there.
By Alicia Nally
By Alicia Nally
Clotting disorders occur in Australia each year
Professor Kidd says "each year we have a number of cases of people who have the cerebral venous sinus thrombosis, we have people who have other cases of clotting with low platelets presenting with a range of other conditions, including a condition called heparin-induced thrombocytopenia".
"These are conditions which we see occurring naturally in Australia and which are managed by our healthcare services.
"What we are seeing though is this very small number of reports of these cases occurring with a possible link to vaccination which is why we are following this up so closely and carefully."
He also says Pfizer has been used in the vaccination of quarantine and Border Force workers and people working in health care who may be at risk of coming in contact with people with COVID-19 as well as to the residents of residential aged care and disability care facilities across the country.
Recipients in Phase 1B are receiving the AstraZeneca vaccine.
"At this time we haven't made any decisions about reserving Pfizer for use in different groups within the population in 1B," Professor Kidd says.
By Alicia Nally
Professor Kidd is using some technical medical language and also has a request for the nation's healthcare workers
He asks them to refer to the ATAGI statement published today.
"Please be aware of the warning signs of this rare but severe condition associated with thrombosis and with thrombocytopenia, a low platelet count.
"This condition has presented as either a clot appearing in the brain or as thrombosis in other sites, including in the intraabdominal venous systems.
"If cerebral venous sinus thrombosis or another severe thrombotic case is suspected in a patient who has received a COVID-19 vaccine, please refer them to an emergency department for further urgent assessment and haematology consultation.
"As mentioned, the TGA has received only one report of a case of thrombosis and thrombocytopenia following vaccination with the AstraZeneca vaccine in Australia but the causal link has not yet been established."
By Alicia Nally
'We are taking this potential risk very seriously'
Professor Kidd reinforces the vaccine continues to be important in populations at high risk of COVID-19.
"We continue in Australia to be at risk of another serious outbreak of COVID-19 at a time when most of our population has no immunity from either past infection or from vaccination.
"We do have low risk of transmission of COVID-19 in Australia at this time but we are being open about possible risks and acknowledge the uncertainty that this will cause.
"We are taking this potential risk very seriously.
"This is why the AHPPC has asked ATAGI to meet later today to provide additional advice [on the vaccine].
As I've said, we expect further information to be available tomorrow and further advice from our colleagues in the European Union and United Kingdom over the coming few days.
"At this time, the risk of serious disease and death from COVID-19, if we experience another severe outbreak, especially among older Australians and those with severe health conditions, is far greater than the very small potential risk of a very rare clotting disorder associated with the vaccine."
By Alicia Nally
People should be particularly alert to severe persistent headaches occurring four to 20 days after vaccination
These headaches are different to the usual pattern of headaches that people may experience at other times and which do not settle with paracetamol or other over-the-counter painkillers.
If you receive the AstraZeneca vaccine and you experience symptoms of severe, persistent headache or other worrying symptoms, four to 20 days after the vaccine, you should seek medical advice as soon as possible.
Anyone attending their general practitioner or hospital should let the treating doctor or other clinician know the details of which vaccination they have received and when.
"The AHPPC has today asked for further urgent advice from ATAGI and from the TGA on the case which has been reported this morning," Professor Kidd says.
"And the AHPPC will be meeting again tomorrow to consider this further advice on the AstraZeneca vaccine.
"I remind anyone receiving a vaccination over the coming few days that these instances of serious clotting disorders are extremely rare and have occurred in only a very small number of cases."
By Alicia Nally
Advice for those who have received AstraZeneca vaccine or are considering it
People who have received either of the COVID-19 vaccines should be aware of the common side effects which include fever, sore muscles, tiredness and headache.
These symptoms usually start within 24 hours of receiving the vaccine and they usually last for only one to two days.
These side effects are expected and are not of concern, unless the symptoms are severe or persistent.
The side effect that concerns us most is the risk of a severe allergic reaction called anaphylaxis, which usually occurs a very short time after vaccination and which is common with several other vaccinations.
This is why everyone receiving a vaccine is required to stay and be monitored for 15 minutes after the vaccination or for longer if they have a past history of serious allergic reactions to vaccines.
The reports from overseas of rare clotting disorders have occurred later than this — between day four and day 20, after vaccination — and have generally caused severe symptoms requiring hospitalisation.
By Alicia Nally
Australian authorities have been monitoring reports from overseas of possible clotting disorders occurring four to 20 days after vaccination
One of these condition is known as central venous sinus thrombosis.
The European Medicines Agency and the UK Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency are investigating these reports, Professor Kidd says.
"Investigators have not at this time confirmed a causal link with the COVID-19 AstraZeneca vaccine but investigations are ongoing.
"Central venous sinus thrombosis is a very rare disorder that is previously not been known to be associated with vaccination, however it has been noted as a complication of people who have contracted COVID-19.
"No cases of central venous sinus thrombosis have been reported in Australia to date, in the time period of concern following vaccination."
By Alicia Nally
Addressing the clotting issues
Acting CMO Professor Michael Kidd says regarding the rare clotting disorder following vaccination with the AstraZeneca vaccine, it is still "not clear whether this condition is related to the vaccination but further urgent investigation is under way in the United Kingdom and in Europe".
He said members of the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation, ATAGI, the Therapeutic Goods Administration, the TGA and the Australian Government's Department of Health met early this morning with technical advisory experts and regulators in the United Kingdom.
"We discussed the AstraZeneca vaccine and reports they have had there of clotting disorders.
"Additional discussions a planned for the coming days.
"One case of this clotting disorder has been recorded in Australia overnight and we are taking this very seriously.
"It is currently being investigated by the Therapeutic Goods Administration and a meeting will be held tomorrow of the TGA vaccine safety investigation group which will examine this report and determine whether it could be linked to the AstraZeneca vaccine."
By Alicia Nally
Professor Kidd applauds Queensland's work and gives us a global update
There were more than 685,000 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours around the world.
More than 11,700 lives have been lost in the past 24 hours to COVID-19.
That brings the global death toll to over 2.8 million people.
But, in Australia, there were almost 75,000 COVID-19 tests carried out in Australia.
"A huge thanks to everybody who has come forward for testing over the recent days and especially to people in Queensland and in the north of New South Wales.
"Australians know how to respond when we have a crisis like this.
"As a consequence, as Acting Chief Medical Officer, I have removed the Commonwealth hot spot definition for the Greater Brisbane area as of 11:59pm last night, however Commonwealth support for asymptomatic testing in the community and support for residential aged care facilities continues."
As of midday yesterday, Australians had received over 750,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccines.
That includes 74,000 vaccines delivered on Wednesday alone, which is a record for the national COVID-19 vaccination program.
More than 425,000 of those doses are of the AstraZeneca vaccine.
More than 133,000 doses of this vaccine were delivered to people aged under the age of 55 years.
