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Urgent testing is underway after an airline crew member’s “possible COVID-19 case” halted a flight from Sydney to Los Angeles.
The American Airlines flight was scheduled to depart Sydney just after 9am on Friday but was postponed due to a “possible COVID-19 case in a flight crew member”.
“The crew member was tested as part of routine surveillance. They are currently in special health accommodation,” NSW Health said in a statement.
Health officials are now waiting for the results of urgent blood tests to determine if this potential case is a historical infection.
Other crew on-board the AA72 flight are considered close contacts and are in quarantine in a Sydney hotel.
“There is no risk to the broader community,” NSW Health said.
It is unclear if the crew member tested positive or returned an inconclusive result. It is also unclear whether they had symptoms of COVID-19.
NSW Health has been contacted for further comment.
Meanwhile, NSW has paused administration of AstraZeneca’s vaccine after the federal government received urgent medical advice relating to a rare but dangerous blood clotting side effect.
The state’s health department said in a statement on Friday it had temporarily put AstraZeneca vaccinations on hold in order to update “informed consent information” given to recipients ahead of their jabs.
For those aged over 50, the pause will only last for a few hours before jabs become available again.
That’s in accordance with the advice received by the Commonwealth government from the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) on Thursday night.
The federal government was advised the AstraZeneca vaccine should be given to people where the benefits outweigh the risks.
Those would include older people, for whom the risk of getting seriously ill from coronavirus was greater than for young people.
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