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SA man in ‘very serious’ condition with blood clot connected to AstraZeneca COVID–19 vaccine

The man received his first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine on May 4.

The man received his first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine on May 4. Photo: ABC News/Eugene Boisvert

A South Australian man is being treated in intensive care after developing blood clots linked to the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine.

It is the first case recorded in the state, with 150,000 South Australians so far receiving the AstraZeneca vaccine.

News of the man’s adverse reaction comes as Australia’s latest vaccine safety data shows blood clot issues with the AstraZeneca vaccine are incredibly rare, with just 24 confirmed cases after more than 2.1 million doses of the shot.

Nicola Spurrier, South Australia’s Chief Public Health Officer, said the man was in a “very serious condition” after received his first dose on May 4.

The 53-year-old was admitted to hospital with severe abdominal pain on Tuesday.

“Unfortunately, he is in a very serious condition in intensive care and my thoughts are with him and his family,” Professor Spurrier said.

Authorities are also investigating a second case of blood clots in an 87-year-old South Australian woman who received the AstraZeneca vaccine last month.

Professor Spurrier said people who have had a vaccine should watch for a severe persistent headache or severe abdominal pain between four and 28 days after receiving a dose.

There has been just one fatality attributed to blood clots, a 48-year-old woman from New South Wales.

The Therapeutic Goods Administration has moved to reassure Australians that the most common side-effects of the COVID vaccines are also those “commonly experienced with vaccines generally”, downplaying anxieties that coronavirus jabs are of any more concern than other widely used medications.

The most common side-effects are headaches or muscle pain, which subside quickly, the medical regulator said.

“This is a safe vaccine… My wife, my mother and my mother-in-law have all had the AstraZeneca vaccine,” Prime Minister Scott Morrison said.

Labor’s shadow health minister, Mark Butler, said it was a “safe and effective vaccine”, adding “as soon as I can, I will be taking that vaccine.

-with agencies

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