A woman in her 50s has died from rare complications linked to receiving a COVID-19 AstraZeneca vaccine.
This marks the second case of vaccine-induced thrombotic thrombocytopenia (VITT) in Canada and only related death in Alberta linked to an AstraZeneca vaccine.
A 54-year-old woman in Quebec died from VITT on April 27.
Dr. Deena Hinshaw reported the death in a tweet Tuesday evening. Out of respect for patient confidentiality no further case information will be provided, she said.
According to Hinshaw, 253,000 doses of AstraZeneca or CoviShield have been administered in the province to date.
“My apologies for sharing this sad news so late, but we’d promised to alert Albertans as soon as possible in such confirmed instances,” she said.
The top doctor in Alberta reminded people that the risk of death or receiving other severe outcomes from a vaccine is extremely rare.
According to Alberta Health Services, the global frequency of VITT has been estimated at approximately one case in 100,000 to 250,000 doses of vaccine.
Albertans aged 50 to 59 who are diagnosed with COVID-19 are 350 times more likely to die from the disease than to experience fatal complications after receiving an AstraZeneca vaccine.
