Alyssa suffered still agreed with vaccination

Being 40 years old, Alyssa Kent never expected to have a massive stroke and end up in a coma.  But that’s what happened after Alyssa suffered a rare case of blood clotting as a result of having the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine. She still believes vaccinating the population is the best way for Australia to emerge from the pandemic.

/ Alyssa Kent

“You just never think you’re going to be that statistic. I’m 40 years old and I’ve had a stroke … I never thought that [would happen]. I thought [the vaccine] was the best option to protect me and add some protection to my family to get out of this [pandemic].”

But after she nearly died, she also wants people to understand the risk — albeit rare — of having the AstraZeneca COVID-19 jab. The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) has confirmed the clots that caused Alyssa’s stroke are linked to the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine.

This week, the TGA recorded two new deaths from the clotting syndrome associated with the AstraZeneca vaccine. One was a 44-year-old man from Tasmania and the other a 48-year-old woman from Victoria. In its latest weekly Vaccine Safety Report, the TGA said there have been 87 cases of clotting from the 6.1 million doses of AstraZeneca administered in Australia.