Coronavirus crisis: Queensland man develops blood clots after AZ vaccine

The AstraZeneca vaccine is being blamed for five new blood clot cases that include a 66-year-old Townsville man currently in ICU and an elderly Tasmanian man in hospital.

Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young says the 66-year-old Queensland man developed abdominal pains after receiving his first jab in Townsville on March 30.

He was later taken to hospital to be treated for thrombosis and he remains in intensive care.

Dr Young says the Therapeutic Goods Administration believe his illness is the direct result of the AstraZeneca vaccine.

“So of course my thoughts go out to him and to his family, and it’s a very difficult time for them,” she told reporters on Friday.

The man is the tenth case of the clots that the TGA has linked to the AstraZeneca vaccine in Australia. An eleventh case was also reported in a 70-year-old Tasmanian man on Thursday.

More than 152,000 vaccine doses have been administered in Queensland by Thursday.

The state plans to have Pfizer hubs operational across the state by the end of this month after people under the age of 50 were advised to preference that vaccine over the AstraZeneca jab.

Meanwhile, the Queensland government has issued fresh travel restrictions on people who have been to Sydney venues visited by two known virus cases.

Health Minister Yvette D’Ath said as of 1am on Friday, anyone in Queensland who has been to any of the 19 exposure sites in the NSW capital will be ordered into mandatory 14-day hotel quarantine.

Anyone in Queensland who has been in NSW since April 27 is also being urged to get tested if they develop symptoms.

“When there’s any community transmission in any jurisdiction we are concerned,” Ms D’Ath said.

“We believe that at this stage the restrictions we’re taking are reasonable and proportionate, but we will be watching very closely what happens with the testing, and whether NSW are able to identify how this first gentleman was able to acquire the virus, having not come into direct contact with these overseas travellers, so that is concerning.”

The health minister said no new cases had emerged in the community on Thursday after 5956 tests in the previous 24 hours.

Queenslanders should reconsider their need to travel to Sydney.

“Even though today you may have not attended any of those sites, you may find additional sites tomorrow or following days,” she said.

“So we believe that today, we believe the restrictions that we’re putting in place are sufficient, but we are willing to to go further if we need to, as we have before.”

Three new cases were reported in hotel quarantine.