Two Australians Die After Getting COVID-19 Vaccine, Authorities Investigate Link

Australia’s medicine and therapeutic regulatory agency on Thursday revealed it launched an investigation into the deaths of two Australians after they were vaccinated for the coronavirus.

Authorities from the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) will investigate any links the vaccine could have had to the deaths of the men in New South Wales.

"All reports ... of death following vaccination are reviewed to assess the likelihood that the vaccine contributed to the event or medical condition that led to a fatal outcome,” the medicines regulatory agency said.

In one of the cases, a 71-year old with underlying health conditions died after receiving a shot of AstraZeneca’s vaccine, Seven News reported.

The other man was a 55-year-old who died from blood clots in his lungs eight days after getting his vaccine, according to the Northern Daily Leader. The TGA did not specify which vaccine he received.

TGA refused to specify when the deaths occurred due to patient confidentiality reasons. The TGA spokesman did note that the “reporting of an adverse event to TGA post-vaccination does not mean the event was caused by the vaccination.”

“This review is undertaken by clinical staff and includes gathering and considering relevant clinical information on the patient’s current and past medical history, risk factors and medications at the time of vaccination as well as any tests such as pathology and clinical notes, and where necessary involves discussion with the relevant state and territory health departments and the individual’s health professionals,” the spokesperson continued.

The TGA has now reviewed six cases of Thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS), which the agency believes is linked to the AstraZeneca shot.

“Further cases of this syndrome may occur in Australia; we will continue to investigate and monitor the rate of occurrence, particular to verify that it remains consistent with international experience,” a TGA report stated.

The deaths come two weeks after Australia abandoned its goal of vaccinating 26 million people by the end of 2021 following advice that recommends people under age 50 get Pfizer’s vaccine instead of AstraZeneca's.