Probe of teen who died 75 days after his Covid-19 vaccine jab ongoing

SINGAPORE - An autopsy has been performed to determine the cause of death of a teenager who died 75 days after he got his Covid-19 vaccination, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said.

In a Facebook post, the MOH said it was aware of a redacted police report that was circulating online.

"The allegation is that the teenager died due to Covid-19 vaccination. It is filed by Dr Paul Yang, who has been an advocate against vaccinations," the ministry said. "It is a serious allegation."

The ministry said the death had been referred to the coroner and an autopsy was done. Further post-autopsy tests are being conducted.

"Pending the determination of the cause of death, the public should not spread any unsubstantiated speculation on the cause of death," it said.

When asked about the case, police said they were alerted to the death of an 18-year-old man on Oct 13 and investigations are ongoing.

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Dr Yang, a general practitioner in Singapore, had written an open letter in June calling for a pause in Singapore’s vaccination exercise for young people.

The letter, which was signed by four other doctors, came after a 13-year-old American boy died days after he received his second dose of a Covid-19 vaccine in the United States. 

The open letter was quickly countered by MOH and doctors from the National Centre for Infectious Diseases as being misleading and one-sided.

MOH added that only vaccines that comply with the World Health Organisation's guidelines and which meet strict standards of safety, quality and efficacy are used in Singapore.

These have been assessed to be safe and efficacious by both the Health Sciences Authority and the Expert Committee on Covid-19 Vaccination. There are also measures to ensure the safety of those vaccinated before, during and after the jab.

All individuals are checked for drug allergies before being vaccinated, and also asked if they are taking medication that might cause adverse side effects. After being inoculated, they are monitored to ensure they are well before they can leave.

Said the ministry: "We encourage the public to continue supporting vaccination as a key response to the Covid-19 pandemic."

More information about Covid-19 and Covid-19 vaccinations can be found at the MOH's website.