A woman has died in Britain, weeks after receiving a first shot of the AstraZeneca COVID vaccine in Australia, the national drug regulator says.
The woman’s age, and whether she was an Australian citizen or permanent resident, is not yet known.
The Therapeutic Goods Administration confirmed the woman’s death in its weekly COVID safety report on Thursday.
The report also said 16 patients remain in Australian hospitals after suffering blood clots, associated with coronavirus shots.
The TGA said the British medical regulator had reported the woman had some symptoms of thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome – the rare blood-clotting condition associated with the AstraZeneca vaccine. She also had another serious and recent underlying health condition.
“UK authorities have ordered a post-mortem to assess whether this condition, along with the impact of long plane and car travel from Australia to the UK, had a role in her death,” it said.
Tweet from @TGAgovau
The TGA’s weekly report confirmed five more cases of blood clots linked with AstraZeneca vaccines and an increase in heart muscle inflammation linked with Pfizer doses.
Two TTS cases have been confirmed – 53-year-old woman from Western Australia and a 59-year-old woman from Victoria – and three are deemed probable blood clots.
The three probable cases involved men, aged 77 and 83, and woman, 64, all from NSW.
The total number of cases of linked with TTS has risen to 69, including two deaths. They include 41 confirmed cases and 28 probable cases from 4.6 million doses.
