Saskatchewan has first case of vaccine-related blood clots

A woman in her 60s has become the first Saskatchewan resident to develop blood clots due to the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine.

The Ministry of Health said Friday a case of vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia (VITT) developed in a woman who had received the shot on April 11.

The government said the woman “has received treatment and is recovering.”

As of Wednesday, 18 confirmed cases of VITT had been reported to the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC). The Saskatchewan case will be added to that total.

There have been worldwide concerns about the blood-clotting issue among patients who receive the AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson vaccines. The Johnson & Johnson one-shot vaccine has yet to be administered in Canada.

To date, nearly 2,050,000 first doses of the AstraZeneca and AstraZeneca/COVISHIELD vaccine have been administered in Canada. The concern about blood clots prompted health officials to limit the age group that could receive that vaccine.

According to the Ministry of Health, “reported rates of similar adverse events relative to AstraZeneca at this time range from one per 26,500 (Norway), one in 50,000 (Netherlands) to one per 100,000 (UK) and one in 127,300 (Australia).”

In Saskatchewan, around 72,000 AstraZeneca first doses were given. The province is still determining what vaccine to give as second doses to those who received AstraZeneca in their first jab.

Some may still get that drug for a second dose, but the government has suggested it may use Pfizer for second doses due to supply concerns with the AstraZeneca drug.

“National reviews of the safety and efficacy of interchanging the second dose brand are ongoing,” the ministry said in its release. “As more evidence comes forward suggesting mixing brands is safe and based on the brand allocations we receive in Saskatchewan, public health recommendations on second doses may be updated.”