Boy suffers cardiac arrest after taking covid-19 vaccine, receives US$166,000 from Singapore Government

The name of the child and his family are being withheld due to privacy laws, however, the Singaporean Government disclosed in a media release that “a one-time financial assistance of $225,000 (US$166,500) has been extended to the youth and his family” after an independent clinical panel assessed and adjudicated on the matter.

The Ministry of Health Singapore stated that while boy “made good improvement, because his condition was severe and critical, he will require treatment and rehabilitation for some time yet to continue his recovery”.

Under its Vaccine Injury Financial Assistance Programme (VIFAP), the wealthy city state in Southeast Asia, created this special indemnity fund for its people who may suffer serious side effects from the covid-19 vaccine. Affected individuals, however, must complete and submit an application for review by an independent tribunal.

“The 16-year-old male youth who had an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest six days after receiving his first dose of COVID-19 vaccine on 27 June 2021, and had required intensive care, is recovering steadily and currently undergoing inpatient rehabilitation. He is making good progress and can perform his activities of daily living without assistance. He will likely be discharged in the coming weeks, but will likely require outpatient rehabilitation for some time before he can return to school and resume other activities. The medical team will continue his treatment and monitor his condition,” the country’s health ministry commented.

“Medical investigations have found that the youth had developed acute severe myocarditis which led to the out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. The myocarditis was likely a serious adverse event arising from the COVID-19 vaccine he received, which might have been aggravated by his strenuous lifting of weights and his high consumption of caffeine through energy drinks and supplements.”

The government did not indicate which vaccine was administered to the teen, but urged persons to avoid strenuous physical activity for one week after each dose.

It added that: “Individuals should also seek medical attention promptly if they develop chest pain, shortness of breath or abnormal heartbeats. Individuals who developed myocarditis from their first dose of the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines should also not receive further doses of it.

“Vaccination using the Pandemic Special Access Route (PSAR)-authorised mRNA COVID-19 vaccines deployed in our National Vaccination Programme (NVP) thus continues to be recommended for all eligible persons, including adolescents and younger men, as the protective benefits from the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines continue to outweigh the risks of vaccination.”

Covid-19 vaccine side effects are rare, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said.

How the Singaporean Government has handled this particular matter is bound to intensify debate in other countries including Jamaica, where the state has been non-committal in accepting any liability on behalf of its people in the event persons suffer any long term or permanent debilitating side effects arising from taking the covid-19 jab.

And it is because of this and other reasons why many Jamaicans remain hesitant about the vaccine.

It is one of many answers being sought by the Jamaica Coalition for a Healthy Society in a petition to Prime Minister Andrew Holness.

“Will the Government accept liability for any vaccine injuries to children whose parents choose vaccination?” the group has asked.

As a policy and out of an abundance of caution due to the possibility that adverse reaction may occur, persons are instructed to wait 15-30 minutes after inoculation before leaving vaccination sites.

Vaccine hesitancy constitutes a large group of people in nations like Jamaica, however, a public declaration by the government that it will accept liability under such circumstance, will go a far way to convince many to take the vaccine.

A total of 139,375 or five percent of the Jamaica population are fully vaccinated so far, while 11 percent or 329,381 have received one dose.

Manufacturers of the covid-19 vaccine are indemnified of any legal challenge if persons unintentionally experienced serious injury from the shot.