Prime Minister Scott Morrison calls for calm after death of Tamworth man

The prime minister said the Therapeutic Goods Administration's (TGA) medical experts needed to be allowed to do their job and provide advice on all adverse reactions.

"They went through a no-corners-cut process of assessing the vaccines in Australia. Their investigators move on these issues very quickly," Mr Morrison told Darwin radio Mix 104.9 on Thursday.

"We've got to be careful about how we talk about these cases. Let's allow the medical facts to be established and let's make decisions to be made on facts."

A 55-year-old man from Tamworth reportedly died on April 21 after getting his first shot eight days earlier.

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A relative of the man told the Northern Daily Leader he died of blood clots in his lungs.

The TGA refused to comment on the case, citing patient confidentiality.

"The reporting of an adverse event to TGA post vaccination does not mean the event was caused by the vaccination," the agency said in a statement.

"All reports to the TGA of death following vaccination are reviewed to assess the likelihood that the vaccine contributed to the event or medical condition that lead to a fatal outcome."

The prime minister's cautious tone comes as the government and health experts try to fight rising vaccine hesitancy.

Chief Nursing Officer Alison McMillan said stringent processes were in place to investigate adverse reactions.

"It's really important not to jump to conclusions here," she told the ABC.

"We have systems to look at these deaths, unfortunate as they are."

The TGA has confirmed six cases of rare blood clots that are likely linked to the AstraZeneca vaccination.

While there is advice it not be used in people under 50, the side effect is extremely rare with between four and six cases for every one million jabs.

Australian Associated Press

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