Australia reports first blood clot fatality 'linked' to AstraZeneca vaccine

Australia reported its first fatality from blood-clots related to the AstraZeneca vaccine on Friday.

The country's health regulator said that there was a likely link between the Covid-19 shot and the death of a 48-year-old woman.

Hers was the third instance of the rare blood-clots appearing in people who were administered the vaccine in Australia. The other two were recovering well, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) added.

The TGA's Vaccine Safety Investigation Group (VSIG) met on Friday and concluded that the review of the case was complicated by the patient's underlying medical conditions, including diabetes, as well as other medical conditions and some atypical features.

VSIG further said that a link between the vaccine and the fatality should be taken into account, but that it could review its decision once the autopsy results are available.

It also added that it would be "carefully reviewing" similar instances Down Under.

At least 885,000 doses of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine had been administered in Australia to date.