Australia raises age limit for AstraZeneca jab after blood clots death

Only two deaths in Australia have been blamed on rare blood clots believed caused by AstraZeneca

Doses of the Oxford/ AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine. File picture: PA

Australia has raised the age from which the AstraZeneca vaccine is recommended from 50 to 60 after the jab was blamed for a 52-year-old woman’s death last week from blood clots in the brain.

Health Minister Greg Hunt described the decision on Thursday as conservative and reflecting the relatively low risk of catching the virus in Australia.