Health authorities accept COVID vaccine caused death of man

Singapore’s Ministry of Health formally recognized the country’s first fatality associated with the COVID-19 vaccines — a 28-year-old previously healthy Bangladeshi man who died of myocarditis 21 days after receiving the Moderna Spikevax COVID-19 vaccine.

In a Feb. 17 announcement, the MOH stated: “The State Coroner has ruled on 15 February 2023 that the death of a 28-year-old Bangladeshi male, who passed away 21 days after COVID-19 vaccination, was a medical misadventure.

“The cause of death was certified as myocarditis. The State Coroner also found that on the balance of probabilities, it was likely to be related to COVID-19 vaccination.”

According to the MOH, Rajib received the first dose of the Moderna Spikevax COVID-19 vaccine on June 18, 2021. On July 9, 2021, he collapsed at work and died later that day.

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Channel News Asia (CNA) obtained a copy of the coroner’s report, which shed further light on Rajib’s death and the prior condition of his health.

According to CNA, the coroner’s report indicated that Rajib “had no known chronic illness and had not reported being sick at work before.” He had “recovered fully” from a COVID-19 infection one year earlier.

Rajib, who was employed at Sunlight Engineering, had just completed his workday and was climbing up a ladder to emerge onto the main deck of the ship where he was working at Singapore’s Sembcorp Shipyard.

An autopsy by associate professor Teo Eng Swee of the Singaporean Health Sciences Authority’s Forensic Medicine Division revealed that Rajib’s internal organs were “mostly normal” — except for his heart, where myocarditis was detected via microscopic examination.

Based on the “balance of probabilities,” Teo said, Rajib’s COVID-19 vaccination likely caused his death, even though this “could not be established objectively.” Long COVID from his prior infection was all but ruled out as the cause by State Coroner Adam Nakhoda.

Under the MOH’s Vaccine Injury Financial Assistance Programme for COVID-19 Vaccination, a one-time cash payment of $225,000 Singapore dollars ($168,000 USD) will be made to his family, Bloomberg reported.

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Drawing on MOH data, Bloomberg reported that more than 17 million COVID-19 vaccine doses were administered in Singapore, and that the incidence of myocarditis has been “rare,” at a rate of 1.1 per 100,000 doses for the primary series and 0.1 per 100,000 doses for the bivalent vaccines.

Singapore’s MOH issued a health warning to individuals who recently received a COVID-19 vaccine, specifically addressing the risk of myocarditis:

“As a precautionary measure, since September 2021, vaccinated persons are advised to avoid strenuous physical activity or exercise for two weeks after vaccination to mitigate the potential risk of myocarditis.

“Persons with chest discomfort, abnormal heartbeats or any other symptoms that arise after vaccination, should seek medical attention promptly. This will enable early diagnosis and appropriate medical management of any rare severe adverse events that may occur after vaccination.”

Data from the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) as of Feb. 10 lists 16,529 cases of myocarditis following the administration of a COVID-19 vaccine, with incidents recorded for individuals as young as 6 months to 80+ years of age. There were 383 reports of deaths from myocarditis following COVID-19 vaccination.

Those numbers grow to 16,548 cases and 388 deaths when including bacterial myocarditis, infectious myocarditis, mycotic myocarditis, septic myocarditis or post-infection myocarditis.

Cases involving the COVID-19 bivalent boosters are listed separately in VAERS, and as of Feb. 10, 29 reports of myocarditis following the administration of the booster are recorded in VAERS.