An update on serious blood clotting issues from AZ in Australia.
The government just released the latest on blood clots from AZ. You will recall that the AZ vaccine results in a very particular type of blood clotting making IDing the source of the clots relatively straight forward..
Our gov is very nervous about releasing such data, and I would not be surprised if some/much was being withheld. When cases are made public it is usually 2 or more weeks after the event has been determined. Treating hospitals cannot release such data. Case reports have to go to the gov and the gov decides what is released. sigh ...
The latest release detailed an additional five cases. All cases notified to the public are requiring long hospitalisation, occasionally ICU. The official numbers indicate one death, in total, from these peculiar clotting events. All clotting cases are in individuals over 50 yo. My calculations suggest that the rate of (reported) cases is a little less than 1:100,000.
The problem with a member of the public calculating the rate is that we have two figures to use. 1, the number of vaccinations with AZ, and 2, the official number of severe clotting, which we know lags by some weeks the number of vaccinations. You may recall that my previous posting on this side effect in which I calculated a rate of about 1 in 200,000 with the same caveat of the delay in reporting. So, as expected, as the vaccinations continue, the true rate will will undoubtedly worsen, and will asymptote to maybe 1:75,000 (my latest guess).
I find it terribly disappointing that the Australian gov is severely massaging any information that the public receives, and our government is the main source of misinformation. Misinformation is the wrong word. Some of the info they release is intentionally erroneous. As an Australian, I am very embarrassed to report that most lies come directly from the mouth of our popular PM. Our experience with previous PMs had resulted in most members of the public taking what is said by any PM to be the truth, and that belief is still strongly entrenched.
Australia has weathered the virus very well aided obviously by our isolation. Our states took charge of quarantine, etc, and have done a superlative effort.
My wife and I continue to have no recognisable side effects from the AZ vaccine (first dose only) 6 weeks ago.
Take care good people,
Doug