26-Year-Old 'Healthy' Woman Dies After Receiving 1st Dose Of COVID-19 Vaccine

KEY POINTS

The victim's mother said her daughter had no underlying health problems
The 26-year-old had allergic reactions after taking the first shot of Sinovac
Within a few days, her condition worsened

A 26-year-old woman in Thailand reportedly died after receiving her first dose of COVID-19 vaccine.

The woman, identified as Kanyarat Saengsawang, died at a hospital Monday, local media reported Wednesday. Doctors said she died of infections and low blood pressure.

Saengsawang from Muang district had received her first shot of the Sinovac vaccine on Sept. 24, following which she complained of an allergic reaction. Kanyarat's mother, Metikan Insang, said her daughter had fever, exhaustion and a tight chest after her vaccination, the Bangkok Post reported. Insang also added her symptoms grew worse as days passed.

The woman was rushed to a hospital on Oct. 12 night after her health deteriorated. However, the staff at the hospital asked her to come the next day. Two days later, Saengsawang was hospitalized again, but her condition worsened, which led to her death.

The victim's mother, aged 50, blamed the vaccine for her death, saying her daughter suffered constant critical allergic reactions. However, an official statement was yet to be released confirming the vaccine as the reason behind the woman's death.

Insang said her daughter was "very healthy" and had no underlying health issues before taking the vaccine, Matichon Online reported [Google Translate showed]

Sinovac, which is a Chinese-made vaccine, has been the key to Thailand’s nationwide vaccination campaign so far. The country has administered more than 31.5 million Sinovac doses, just under half of its 64.4 million total. Thailand’s health department recently stated it would stop using the Sinovac vaccine after its current stock has been used, Reuters reported.

The decision was taken after Chinese doctors and other countries claimed the vaccine was ineffective against the Delta variant. After research, doctors decided to combine the Sinovac vaccine with the Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines to combat the Delta variant. Thailand was the first country in the world to adopt a mix-and-match protocol.

On Thursday morning, Thailand's Public Health Ministry announced 9,727 new Covid-19 cases and 73 new fatalities during the previous 24 hours. Last month, authorities announced their plans to open a large swath of the country in the next three months for tourism.