Death of boy, 12, not related to vaccine: DDC
The death of 12-year-old boy after getting his first shot of Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine last month was not caused by the vaccine itself, the Public Health Ministry’s Department of Disease Control (DDC) said.
“The boy received a Pfizer jab on January 25. He displayed no side effects within 30 minutes of vaccination,” said Dr Chawetsan Namwat, of DDC's emergency disease and health hazards control division, on Friday.
The boy developed fever and muscle aches after returning home, he added.
“On January 28 he had pain in both knees and difficulty walking, while the legs muscles were also weakened.
The boy was then taken to a private hospital where doctors found that he had high fever and black bruises on both legs, which he could not move.
However, there were no bruises at the point where the vaccine was administered, said Dr Chawetsan.
“Doctors suspected septicaemia and decided to send him to Krabi Hospital, where he was treated with antibiotics and intravenous fluid. However, his symptoms did not improve, and he died on February 3.”
Chawetsan said that a lab biopsy showed the patient had died from septic arthritis at the knees and septic shock. There was no sign of infection at the point where the vaccine was administered. Doctors therefore ruled that the death was not caused by the vaccine but by other events that occurred at roughly the same time as vaccination.
Chawetsan added that Thailand had administered over 120 million doses of Covid-19 vaccine since February last year, and 2,081 people had died after their vaccination. Of these deaths, 1,464 cases were investigated by medical experts, who ruled that 938 cases were not related to the Covid-19 vaccine. Meanwhile 250 cases are awaiting additional evidence, while 272 cases were ruled inconclusive. This leaves only four fatalities related to Covid-19 vaccines.
Two people died due to vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia (VITT), one from severe allergic reaction and shock, and one from Stevens-Johnson syndrome and toxic epidermal necrolysis.