A 44-year-old Tasmanian man has died after receiving a first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine.
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He is the first male and youngest victim in Australia to lose their life after developing the rare blood clotting disorder, linked to the vaccine, out of 6.1 million doses.
The man's death was confirmed in the latest COVID-19 vaccine weekly safety report from the Therapeutic Goods Administration on Thursday, along with a 48-year-old Victorian woman.
Both were confirmed cases of thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome or TTS - the rare blood clotting disorder that has been linked to the AstraZeneca vaccine.
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Since the COVID-19 vaccine rollout began, six deaths have been linked to immunisations.
All were related to the first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine - five were TTS cases and one was a case of immune thrombocytopenia.
This is the first Tasmanian death linked to a COVID-19 vaccine.
Health Minister Jeremy Rockliff said while the man was a confirmed case of TTS, the determination of cause of death was now a matter for the coroner.
"On behalf of the Tasmanian government, and personally, I extend my deepest sympathies to the man's family, his friends and his loved ones," he said.
"I can confirm the man died last weekend in hospital, where he had been receiving treatment.
"His family has asked for privacy on this matter, and out of deepest respect for them, it is not appropriate to provide information that may identify the man."
State Health Commander Kathrin Morgan-Wicks said the man received his vaccination in a state-run clinic.
"As a result of this event, the Tasmanian Department of Health convened an expert alert advisory panel to review the case and report in detail to the TGA," she said.
"These are outlined in the TGA safety report."
Aside from the Tasmanian man, all four deaths linked to TTS have been women.
They include two women aged 48, a 52-year-old and a 72-year-old.
It is not known when the Tasmanian man received his vaccination, or whether it pre-dated a change in messaging for those aged under 60 to receive AstraZeneca.
While he would not comment on the particular circumstances of the man's case, Tasmanian Public Health Director Dr Mark Veitch said he had no evidence to suggest information about AstraZeneca had been confusing.
"It is complex, but there is a difference between complex and confusion," he said.
"The things people need to consider is am I at risk from harm from the vaccine ... and what are the benefits to me."
The overall rate of TTS in Australia is two out of every 100,000 people who receive the first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine.
The rate is higher for those under 60 years of age.
Dr Veitch said the rate of TTS being reported in Tasmania was similar to numbers being reported nationally, with higher numbers attributed to more stronger surveillance.
"We are being very frank with people, in telling them in this instance someone has had the AstraZeneca vaccine and has developed a serious complication and has died," he said.
"The linking of those things as a causal process is a matter for the coroner.
"The public does need to know the side effects, but they also need to know the benefits of vaccines."
There have been other confirmed cases of TTS in Tasmania, including a 65-year-old woman and a man in his 70s.
Since the beginning of the vaccine rollout, more than 10.1 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been given out.
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