Alyssa Kent (pictured) suffered blood clots and seizures after getting the AstraZeneca vaccine
An Australian mother-of-two who suffered a stroke after getting the AstraZeneca vaccine and nearly died says she still believes every Australian should get the jab.
Alyssa Kent, 40, survived her ordeal thanks to a quick-thinking doctor who put her into a deep coma for three weeks when she started having seizures caused by the blood clots.
The Melbourne woman's condition was so serious her family was asked by the hospital at one point if they should switch off her life-support.
But despite her experience - which has left her taking 20 pills a day and doctors unsure if she will have lasting effects - she has urged the public that vaccination is essential.
'I still wholeheartedly believe that and I will at some point, get fully vaccinated,' she told the ABC.
'The only way back to normal - as normal as possible … is for us to get herd immunity and vaccination at a level that is protective of the community,' she said
She will, however, be waiting for the Pfizer vaccine.
And she added a warning for those considering what vaccine to get that while the blood-clotting complications of the AstraZeneca vaccine are extremely rare - they are also very serious.
The 40-year-old (pictured) said she still believes everyone should get vaccinated but she will definitely wait for the Pfizer jab for her second dose
Ms Kent - a biomedical scientist for the pharmaceutical industry - said she knows better than most that any medication is a calculation of the benefits versus the risks.
'Most side effects are things like a headache, nausea, diarrhea which you can manage, relatively easy [but] the consequences of [AstraZeneca] side effects are catastrophic, you know, and some people are dying from them,' she said.
Ms Kent had thyroid cancer a few years ago which qualified her for an early Covid vaccination.
She got her first AstraZeneca jab on May 17 and ten days later while at a work conference in the Hunter Valley she began having seizures.
Her husband and two daughters rushed to her side as she was transferred to hospital.
Ms Kent (pictured with her two daughters) is a biomedical scientist and said she knows any medication has a risk profile
The blood clots travelled to her brain and she only barely survived after being placed in an induced coma.
She said she woke three weeks later with no idea what had happened and was 'overwhelmed' when she was told.
While Australians over 18 can access the AstraZeneca vaccine they are required to sign a waiver saying they are aware of the risks.
Australia's peak vaccine authority, the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation also issues recommendations about who should get specific vaccines.
Their advice is that those aged 16 to 60 should get the Pfizer vaccine, though those who are in a virus hotspot can discuss with their doctor.
While their advice for those aged over 60 is the benefits of the AstraZeneca vaccine outweigh the risks.
The latest Vaccine Safety report from ATAGI said that from the 6.1million doses of AstraZeneca administered in the country, there have been 87 cases of blood clots.
She said she wants to warn people of the risks of the AstraZeneca vaccine (pictured with her husband)
