6 Dead After Receiving COVID-19 Vaccine In Taiwan

KEY POINTS

An 18-year-old woman died more than a month after receiving a Pfizer COVID-19 jab
Taiwan has received 117 reports about adverse reactions to vaccines
The administering of Pfizer's vaccine to children aged 12 to 17 has been temporarily suspended

At least 6 people have died in Taiwan after receiving a dose of a COVID-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer-BioNTech, according to a health official.

Chuang Jen-Hsiang, a spokesperson for the country’s Central Epidemic Command Center, said Tuesday that among the deceased, the youngest patient was an 18-year-old woman. The six people were reported to have died following vaccination. The deaths were reported Monday, reported Taiwan News.

The unnamed 18-year-old received her first dose of vaccine on Sept. 29, but did not experience upper abdominal pain until Nov. 9. She underwent surgery to treat her condition on Nov. 13 but succumbed to the illness on Nov. 15. The young woman, whose family is now applying for financial compensation, had a history of cancer, according to the report.

As of Monday, the Central Epidemic Command Center received a total of 117 reports about adverse reactions to vaccines. At least 59 cases were tagged as “non-serious,” 52 were labeled “serious,” and six resulted in deaths.

The report comes after the CECC on Nov. 10 announced it was temporarily suspending the administering second doses of the BioNTech-Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines to children between the ages of 12 and 17. The move comes after the agency received 16 reports of myocarditis among adolescents following the vaccination.

Myocarditis is a term used to refer to the inflammation of the heart muscle as part of the body’s response to an infection or trigger. The inflammation can reduce the heart’s ability to pump oxygen and may cause abnormal heart rhythms.

Cases of myocarditis have been reported to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, especially in male adolescents and young adults who received a dose of an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer and Moderna.

Myocarditis after mRNA vaccination is more often reported following the second dose and usually occurs within a week of vaccination. Some of the most common symptoms of myocarditis include chest pain, shortness of breath and feelings of having a fluttering heart, according to the CDC.

It is unclear when Taiwan’s CECC will decide to lift the suspension. Taiwan’s Health Minister Chen Shih-Chung said a panel of experts will review the data on cases of myocarditis and decide on a course of action.