Investigation launched into death of woman who received AstraZeneca vaccine

Thailand’s Health Minister says an investigation will be launched into the cause of death of a 46 year old woman who received the AstraZeneca vaccine. Anutin Charnvirakul was speaking as he paid his condolences to the family of Panyapat Itthithanawong, who lived in the Bang Khen district of Bangkok.

The Bangkok Post reports that Panyapat received a dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine on Tuesday morning and started to feel ill hours after she’d returned home. She developed a high fever and headache, and complained of feeling tired. She took 2 painkiller tablets and her symptoms appeared to ease, with the exception of the headache, which got worse.

Her niece, who was caring for her, says the woman then took medication she’d been prescribed for migraines. Around 15 minutes later, she was struggling to breath and had a seizure, before falling unconscious. Her niece called a neighbour and the paramedics, but the woman could not be resuscitated.

Atthapol Meeseang of Bang Khen police says the woman’s family told police that she was on medication to relieve migraine. It’s understood some doctors have cautioned against taking painkillers to treat vaccine side-effects. A preliminary examination shows the woman suffered from irregular blood circulation and heart problems.

Anutin says the probe into her death will take into consideration any underlying health conditions the woman had prior to being vaccinated, as well as determining whether she suffered severe side-effects or an allergy to the vaccine. He says while health officials acknowledge that some people may experience side-effects following vaccination against Covid-19, they are rare.

Police have confirmed an autopsy was performed and they expect the results within 45 days.

SOURCE: Bangkok Post