Four people suffer severe allergic reaction to AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine in the past 48 hours
- The four Queenslanders had received AstraZeneca jab within the past two days
- Health officials have said reactions in people with allergies are to be expected
Four people in Queensland have suffered anaphylaxis after receiving the Covid-19 vaccine within the last 48 hours.
The patients received the AstraZeneca jab in Ipswich, Toowoomba and Bundaberg and have since recovered from the reaction.
All four had histories of severe allergic reactions or anaphylaxis.
Health officials have assured the public that such reactions among people with severe allergies are to be expected.
Four people in Queensland have suffered anaphylaxis after receiving the Covid-19 vaccine within the last 48 hours (healthcare worker prepares dose of AstraZeneca vaccine)
Dr John Wakefield, Director-General of Queensland Health, said that for some people who have allergies such as anaphylaxis, they may choose to delay getting the vaccine until authorities ‘get to the bottom of this’.
‘We expect with a vaccination program, to see allergic reactions,’ he said.
‘Having seen four of these in the last two days, all of those cases had treatment immediately … they have all gone home after a period of monitoring, so they are all safe. So what we put in place … is just an extra blanket of safety, which is monitoring people for an extra 15 minutes.
‘We expect with vaccinations that a small number of people, it is fairly rare but a small number of people will get anaphylaxis.’
Queensland Health Minister Yvette D’Ath said the issue would be raised with health officials at a ‘national level’.
‘People should not be concerned,’ she said.
‘To the rest of the people who have not reported ever having a severe allergic reaction in the past, we will be making sure we are monitoring them for half-an-hour now, just to be sure.’
Health officials have assured Australians that reactions among people with a history of allergies are to be expected (pictured nurse receives Covid-19 jab as Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk looks on)
It comes after it was announced police, army personnel, health workers and anyone over the age of 70 are among six million Australians who can now book to receive their coronavirus vaccine (pictured, ambulance and police officers after getting their jab on March 7 in Perth)
It comes after it was announced police, army personnel, health workers and anyone over the age of 70 are among six million Australians who can now book to receive their coronavirus vaccine.
Phase 1B of Australia’s biggest ever vaccination program is to be unveiled on Wednesday in the first large-scale roll out to the general public.
Australians now eligible include everyone over 70, other healthcare workers, plus Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged over-55.
Adults of any age with underlying medical conditions which make them vulnerable to the virus are also on the list, and some high-risk workers including army, police and those working in meat processing plants.
Around 200,000 aged care residents, quarantine workers and frontline health workers have been vaccinated so far, well behind the federal government’s timeline.
The government initially estimated four million vaccinations would be achieved by the end of March.