Canada’s Alberta records death linked to AstraZeneca vaccine

The Canadian province of Alberta recorded its first death of a patient from a rare blood clots after receiving the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine.

Alberta’s chief medical officer of health, Deena Hinshaw said in a statement on Tuesday, a woman in her 50s, marks the second case of blood clots and the only death after more than 253,000 doses of AstraZeneca were administered in the province.

“While any death is tragic, it is important to remember that the risks of dying or suffering other severe outcomes from COVID-19 remain far greater than the risk following AstraZeneca vaccine,” Hinshaw said.

Canada has had 1,243,242 confirmed coronavirus cases and 24,342 deaths and reported at least five cases of blood clots following immunization with the vaccine.

The province of Quebec reported Canada’s first death of a patient after receiving the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine last month.

Dozens of countries paused the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine in March after reports of rare, but serious, blood clots.

Several of them have now resumed use either fully or with restricions after health regulators said the benefits of the shot outweigh any risks.

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