More Details Have Been Revealed About the Man Who Died from COVID-19 Vaccine in S’pore

COVID-19 vaccination, a topic of hot discussion over the past two years, has slowly been accepted as a norm in today’s post-circuit breaker society. Conversations between people encompassed experiences with the Moderna or Pfizer vaccines, or whichever reigned superior over the other. Safety was never an issue, as general vaccine acceptance slowly became normal through several successful government schemes mandating vaccination.

However, in more recent news, Singapore has ruled their first COVID-19 vaccine-related death—an otherwise healthy 28-year-old Bangladeshi male.

Here’s what happened as more details are revealed.

The First COVID-19 Vaccine-related Death in S’pore

The 28-year-old Bangladeshi male, known as Mr Rajib, had previously contracted COVID-19, but made a full recovery. 

He was found dead on 9th July 2021, 3 weeks after receiving his first vaccine from SpikeVax, formerly known as Moderna. 

Mr Rajib, working on a tank under the main deck of a vessel, entered it with a colleague to tape aluminium foil over some weld points. 

When work ended, the pair began climbing up ladders to the main deck, and Mr Rajib, with his safety helmet on, suddenly fell down two rungs back onto the base of the tank. He immediately fell unconscious and was later sent by the rescue team to Ng Teng Fong General Hospital, but was unable to be revived. 

Later, in that same night, he was pronounced dead.

His cause of death was identified as myocarditis, likely related to the COVID-19 vaccine he took earlier.

Medical Findings

Though rare, myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscle, is well-documented by the CDC to be a possible complication of receiving the COVID-19 vaccine, especially in adolescents and young males several days after. 

It was also observed to be more likely to happen after the second dosage of the vaccine.

Symptoms of myocarditis can range from none in its early stages to severe later on. These include breathlessness, fatigue, chest pain, arrhythmia (irregular heartbeat), swelling in the feet and legs, and lightheadedness. If severe, it can lead to heart failure or sudden cardiac death.

Mr Rajib was found to be otherwise healthy, ruling out other causes of myocarditis like viruses, fungi, parasites or inflammatory diseases. Because of that, it was deduced that the cause of his myocarditis was drug-related: the drug in this case being the COVID-19 vaccine. 

Sudden and unexpected death from myocarditis is not uncommon however, as it has been reported to be a major cause of sudden death in infants, adolescents, and young adults.

Risk of Death is Low—Vaccine Should Still be Taken

Nevertheless, the importance of taking COVID-19 vaccines should not be downplayed. 

A detailed study published in the American Heart Association Journal Circulation has shown that the overall risk of myocarditis is higher after contracting COVID-19, and less related to receiving sequential doses of the vaccine.  

More than 14 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in Singapore to date, with 89.8% of the population being fully vaccinated. 

According to the Health Sciences Authority (HSA), the incidence of myocarditis remains rare, with reporting rates of 0.1 per 100,000 doses (or 0.0001%) for the bivalent vaccines, and 1.1 per 100,000 doses (or 0.0011%) for the primary vaccination series of the monovalent vaccines.

MOH is currently working with the Ministry of Manpower to further extend their assistance to Mr Rajib’s family.

They will be receiving a one-time payment of $225,000, under the Vaccine Injury Financial Assistance Programme provided by MOH.