• A 64-year-old Singaporean woman died the day she received her first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine
• An autopsy found that she had died due to hypertensive heart disease and coronary artery disease, MOH said
• The woman’s son questioned if screeners at the vaccination centre had correctly assessed his mother to be suitable for the vaccine
• The family hopes to receive the coroner’s report and find closure

SINGAPORE — The death of a 64-year-old Singaporean woman whose demise occurred on the same day she received her first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine was caused by hypertensive heart disease and coronary artery disease, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said on Saturday (Aug 7).

The ministry was responding to queries from TODAY over a post by Facebook user Charlene Yong on July 31.

Ms Yong wrote about how her mother had collapsed eight hours after taking her first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine at around 10am on July 25.

She said that her mother, who led an active life, had been mopping the floor just before she collapsed.

Ms Yong questioned if the vaccine had triggered her mother’s death or if it was just “pure coincidence”.

She wrote: “My mother leads an active life and is mostly healthy except for controlled hypertension and mild diabetes. What could have happened during the course of the vaccination that robbed her of her life?”

Ms Yong said that she wanted the coroner’s report released to her family to better understand the true cause of her mother’s death beyond “hypertensive and coronary artery disease”.

MOH told TODAY that it was alerted by Ng Teng Fong General Hospital of the woman's death on July 25.

She was treated at the hospital’s emergency medicine department the same evening.

Before that, she had received her first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech or Comirnaty vaccine.

“She was assessed by trained healthcare personnel to be suitable for Covid-19 vaccination prior to vaccination, observed on-site for about 30 minutes post-vaccination and was well,” the ministry said.

The death was reported to the coroner in compliance with the Coroners Act.

The coroner authorised and conducted an autopsy to determine the cause of death in an independent and objective manner, MOH said.

“Based on the autopsy findings, the certified cause of death is hypertensive heart disease and coronary artery disease. This is consistent with the patient’s history of heart disease, diabetes, hyperlipidaemia and hypertension,” it added.

Hyperlipidaemia is a condition where a person has high levels of lipids such as cholesterol or triglycerides in the blood. It is one of the main risk factors for coronary heart disease and stroke.

The ministry noted that heart attacks are caused by coronary artery disease.

Data here and abroad showed that there has not been any increase in the number of heart attacks after vaccination.

“We see about 1,000 strokes and heart attacks every month, handled by our public hospitals, and as we vaccinate in large numbers, coincidental strokes and heart attacks after vaccination will occur,” MOH said.

The ministry offered its condolences to the family and said that it will assist the family as much as it can through the public healthcare system.

CORONER’S REPORT FOR CLOSURE

Speaking to TODAY on Monday, Mr Jerome Yong Soon Chen, the woman’s second son, said that his parents had been reluctant to be vaccinated against the coronavirus.

However, he and his two siblings persuaded them to do so, and his parents eventually went to Taman Jurong Community Club for their first dose on July 25.

Mr Yong, 42, added that his mother seemed healthy and did not inform her children of any health issues after her most recent medical check-up at Jurong Polyclinic last month.

Following her death, Mr Yong said that questions remain on whether health screeners at the vaccination centre had correctly assessed his mother to be suitable for the vaccine.  

He said that the family had asked for the coroner’s report to learn the root cause of their mother’s death and receive closure. However, they were told by the police that it will take a month to process it.

They are also waiting to hear back from Ng Teng Fong General Hospital for details on efforts taken by doctors to resuscitate his mother, he added.

Referring to MOH’s statement on the death, Mr Yong said: “To the Government, these statistics could add up to 0.1 per cent but to me, my mother is my 100 per cent. If there is a pattern, I hope my mother’s death is not in vain… and the Government pays more attention to improve the screening of those receiving their jabs.”