Tragically, an inquest has revealed that a “fit and healthy” man passed away from a blood clot three weeks after he received his Covid vaccine.
Jack Last, an engineer from Suffolk's Stowmarket, experienced a “pounding headache” 6 days post-AstraZeneca vaccination in March 2021. He initially visited the Emergency Room on April 9th but healthcare professionals thought he was enduring a migraine and that the odds of this being caused by his vaccine were slim.
Alarm bells ringing, worries circulated about a possible connection between the AstraZeneca vaccine and an unusual kind of blood-clotting disorder.
In May 2021, the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) released advice that people under 40 should receive either Pfizer or Moderna jabs as a priority. This came in response to an increasing number of reports of rare blood clotting issues associated with AstraZeneca's vaccine.
At Suffolk Coroner's Court, the inquest into his passing commenced and revealed that 27-year-old Mr Last had a blood clot on his brain.
After a brief illness, he sadly passed away at Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge on April 20th.
In a statement to the court, Jack's parents expressed that they felt he would have had an optimistic prognosis if given proper care at the hospital. They regretfully asserted “We had no medical knowledge – we put our trust in the NHS to help Jack; sadly, his chance was taken away.”
During the inquest, William Petchey took to the stand – he had been Mr Last's initial consultant when admitted to West Suffolk Hospital on April 9th.
According to him, the patient's “vital signs were average,” yet he was still worried about potential vaccine-induced thrombosis occurring. However, despite his concern, he thought it had a slim chance of happening.
The MHRA guidelines stress that the possibilities of blood clotting caused by the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine are minimal, and it is much safer than any alternative risks. According to Dr Petchey, as he requested a CT venogram scan from his junior doctor but lacked the technical expertise needed to do so, they had to settle with a regular CT scan instead.
In order to guarantee that scans can be completed whenever necessary, the hospital has launched a recruitment program.
Martin Besser, a hematologist on staff at West Suffolk Hospital, spoke of the “tough choice” that physicians faced in regards to how best to treat him.
He further declared, “Considering the two options on hand – thrombosis and a bleed- the risks had to be carefully weighed.”
“You're trying at every step to do the least damaging thing for the patient.”
After Mr. Last's passing, his loving sister Jasmine spoke fondly of her incredible brother who brought happiness to everyone he encountered.
She added: “Everything you did with Jack was so much better just because he was there.”
