An Alberta woman in her 50s has died as a result of contracting a rare blood clot condition, after receiving the AstraZeneca vaccine against COVID-19.

In a news release issued Tuesday night, Alberta's Chief Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Hinshaw confirmed that the death was linked to vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia (VITT)  after receiving the AstraZeneca vaccination.

"As Chief Medical Officer of Health, I am sad to report that tonight we have confirmed the death of an Alberta woman in her 50’s from VITT following vaccination from the AstraZeneca vaccine," says Hinshaw.

Hinshaw adds that "out of respect for patient confidentiality and the privacy of the grieving family" health officials won't be releasing additional case information.

More than 23,000 does of  AstraZeneca or CoviSHIELD/AstraZeneca have now been administered provincewide. In her statement, Dr. Hinshaw says that to date, this is the second VITT case in the province and the only death related to VITT in Alberta. 

"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," says Hinshaw.

She goes on to say that "the global frequency of VITT has been estimated at approximately one case in 100,000 to 250,000 doses of vaccine. In comparison, Albertans 50 to 59 who are diagnosed with COVID-19 are 350 times more likely to die from that infection than to experience VITT after an AstraZeneca vaccine. They are also at least 1,500 times more likely to be hospitalized from COVID-19 than experiencing VITT after getting AstraZeneca."

Alberta Health Services (AHS) maintains that the AstraZeneca vaccine remains a good choice for people who are at risk of severe outcomes from COVID-19  and would otherwise have to wait several months to access another vaccine.

AHS states that "Active cases, including variants of concern, are rising in Alberta" and encourages Albertans to "weigh the benefits of earlier protection against severe outcomes from COVID-19, versus a longer wait for immunization."