Woman Dies 2 Days After Getting AstraZeneca Vaccine, Suffered No Side Effects

A Ukrainian servicewoman who died two days after receiving a shot of the AstraZeneca CoviShield vaccine was not experiencing any ill side effects, the Ukrainian health ministry said on its website Wednesday.

The servicewoman suffered from chronic cardiovascular disease and other underlying health conditions, Reuters reported. Nine other Ukrainians who received shots from the same batch of AstraZeneca's vaccine also did not develop any adverse side effects.

The health ministry urged the public not to jump to conclusions and launched an investigation into her death.

News of the Ukrainian servicewoman’s death came as AstraZeneca issued an update on its vaccine efficacy after it faced questions regarding accuracy earlier this week. The company now says its CoviShield vaccine has an efficacy rate of 76% against all symptomatic cases of the coronavirus — a slight dip from the 79% efficacy rate reported Monday.

The updated report also estimated that the vaccine was 85% effective against symptomatic COVID-19 infection in people over 65 — a slight increase from the previously reported 80%. The company maintains that the vaccine shot is 100% effective against coronavirus-related hospitalizations and deaths.

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases on Tuesday revealed that AstraZeneca may have included outdated information in the U.S. trial results of its vaccine.

“The DSMB [Data and Safety Monitoring Board] expressed concern that AstraZeneca may have included outdated information from that trial, which may have provided an incomplete view of the efficacy data,” the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) said in its statement.

“We urge the company to work with the DSMB to review the efficacy data and ensure the most accurate, up-to-date efficacy data be made public as quickly as possible,” it added.

White House chief medical adviser and NIAID director Dr. Anthony Fauci called the DSMB’s concern “unfortunate,” and said he believes the U.K.-based pharmaceutical company would likely issue a modified statement soon.

“This is really what you call an unforced error because the fact is this is very likely a very good vaccine,” Fauci said on "Good Morning America" Tuesday. “This kind of thing does ... really cast some doubt about the vaccines and maybe contribute to the hesitancy. It was not necessary.”