Covid 19 coronavirus: Melbourne man's blood clot condition 'likely' linked to vaccine, but rollout to continue

Pharmacist Mario Linaksita, right, administers the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine to Sharon Berringer, 56, at University Pharmacy, in Vancouver, British Columbia. Photo / AP

Australian health officials will continue to administer AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccinations after a Melbourne man who had received the jab fell ill with a rare blood clotting condition.

The Friday hospitalisation prompted an urgent meeting of independent experts on Saturday morning.

But the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) and the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) did not recommend changes to the vaccine rollout, acting chief medical officer Michael Kidd said on Saturday.

He said the illness was "likely" related to the vaccine, but investigations continue and there is no definitive evidence of any link.

Nevertheless, the relatively minor risk of rare cases of blood clotting was lesser than the risk of Covid-19 outbreaks, Mr Kidd said.

"I need to reiterate that at this time the risk of serious disease and death from Covid-19, if we experience a severe outbreak, especially among older Australians and those with serious health conditions, is far greater than the very small potential risk of a very rare clotting disorder associated with the vaccine," Kidd said.

Australian officials seeking to calm public fears have pointed to the United Kingdom, where millions of AstraZeneca jabs have only led to a few cases of the blood clots.

With 18 million doses administered as of March 24, UK health officials have found 30 cases of blood clots in people who have gotten the shot, according to the BBC.

Nevertheless, Australians who have received the vaccine were urged to be vigilant for symptoms.

Minor side effects such as fever, sore muscles and fatigue are non-dangerous and to be expected within 24 hours of vaccinations and up to a few days after the jab, Kidd said.

But any vaccine recipient who experiences "severe, persistent" headaches that can't be helped with over-the-counter painkillers and that occur four to 20 days after the vaccination should seek medical treatment, he said.

Some 670,000 vaccine doses, including both Pfizer and AstraZeneca versions, had been administered to people as of Thursday.