Coronavirus: Global situation: Australia
Review of vaccines to continue after death of woman
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MELBOURNE • Australia will continue its review of coronavirus vaccines after a 48-year-old woman's death was likely linked to the inoculation, said Health Minister Greg Hunt.
On Friday, Australia reported its first fatality from blood clots in a recipient of AstraZeneca's Covid-19 shot. It was the third case of the rare blood clots appearing in people who have been administered the vaccine in the country.
"The government will ask Atagi (Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation) to ensure continuous review of all of the vaccines in terms of their safety and efficacy," Mr Hunt said at a televised briefing yesterday.
He also said there will be no immediate change to further limit the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine and reiterated that the Pfizer vaccine remains the preferred option for people under the age of 50.
There have been at least 885,000 doses of the Astra-Zeneca vaccines administered in Australia so far, equating to a frequency of instance of blood clotting in every 295,000 cases, the Therapeutic Goods Administration said last week.
Mr Hunt added that a decision will be taken this week on whether to prioritise athletes and support staff in the Covid-19 vaccine roll-out with the Tokyo Olympics fast approaching.
Australia has been one of the world's most successful countries in curbing the pandemic, with snap lockdowns, border closures and swift tracking limiting coronavirus infections to just under 29,500 cases, with 910 Covid-19 deaths.
Meanwhile, Australia's most populous state, New South Wales, is planning a major overhaul of its Covid-19 inoculation programme, including a possible increase in the volume of Pfizer's doses and the distribution of new alternative vaccines, said the Sydney Morning Herald.
The strategy in New South Wales is under review ahead of tomorrow's Cabinet meeting, which is also likely to address the future of the roll-out of AstraZeneca's shots for people over 50 years of age, reported the newspaper.
REUTERS, BLOOMBERG
