Prime Minister Scott Morrison has warned against rushing to conclusions after the death of a NSW woman who developed blood clots a day after receiving a COVID-19 vaccine.
The 48-year-old woman was a diabetic, and preliminary tests have not found a conclusive link to the vaccination.
“It has not yet been established whether there is any link between the COVID-19 vaccine and the tragic death reported by NSW health officials,” the Therapeutic Goods Administration said.
“NSW Health has said there is no confirmed link but further investigations are underway.”
Mr Morrison on Thursday said state and federal authorities would continue to look into the woman’s death.
“There is a lot more to understand and learn about that issue and I would caution others in making conclusions about this at this point as well,” he told reporters near Newman in Western Australia’s Pilbara region.
“We’ve been very transparent, very transparent when it comes to information on these issues and people can expect us to do that.”
Mr Morrison said potential concerns around vaccine hesitancy meant it was important that the matter was fully investigated by medical experts.
“It’s important, because of the fact that people can have concerns, that we follow that important process, to inform ourselves properly,” he said.
A NSW Health spokesperson said the department would not speculate on individual cases, but offered condolences to the family of the woman who died.
“The death of anyone is always a tragedy and our condolences are with the family and loved ones of the person who has passed away,” the spokesperson said in a statement on Thursday night.
The Therapeutic Goods Administration is responsible for regulating and monitoring the use of COVID-19 vaccines in Australia, but NSW Health is notified when a serious or unexpected adverse event occurs.
“Many conditions can arise during normal life, whether or not a vaccine is administered, but it remains important to report any new serious or unexpected events so that safety can be appropriately monitored,” the administration said.
It has not been publicly confirmed which vaccine the woman received.
“The blood clotting disorders being investigated in connection with the AstraZeneca vaccine are very rare and differ from common blood clots or venous thromboembolism, which occur in around 50 Australians every day,” the TGA said.
“The clotting disorder being investigated in connection with the AstraZeneca vaccine, which is now referred to as ‘thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome’, has been confirmed in only two cases out of over 700,000 people who have received the AstraZeneca vaccine in Australia.”
Australians under the age of 50 were last week warned off receiving the AstraZeneca vaccine, after a link was confirmed between the jab and rare blood clots.
Two people have developed bloods clots likely linked to their AstraZeneca jab in Australia – a woman in Western Australia and a man in Victoria, both aged in their 40s.
