She died 4 days after getting her Covid booster jab. Singapore paid her family in the Philippines US$169,000
- Ontal Charlene Vargas died of myocarditis, or inflammation of the heart. A coroner found it was likely related to the vaccine she had received
- The 43-year-old became unwell the morning after getting Pfizer-BioNTech’s Comirnaty vaccine booster shot in 2021. Within days, she was unresponsive
State Coroner Adam Nakhoda found that on the balance of probabilities, it was likely to be related to Covid-19 vaccination.
The Vaccine Injury Financial Assistance Programme provides “one-time goodwill financial assistance” to people who experienced serious side effects that are assessed to be related to vaccines administered in Singapore.
The Health Ministry said on Sunday that Vargas’ family had submitted an application under the programme in January 2023, and it was reviewed by an independent clinical panel.
“The panel assessed that her demise was probably related to Covid-19 vaccination and a one-time financial assistance of S$225,000 had been extended to her family in the Philippines,” the ministry said.
Vargas, 43, received Pfizer-BioNTech’s Comirnaty vaccine booster shot on December 9, 2021. During the 42 minutes of observation at the clinic, she did not exhibit any adverse effects.
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She became unwell the next morning and took a taxi to Singapore General Hospital. The woman stated at the hospital that she had no family history of heart disease or congenital heart problems.
She also said she did not have any reaction to the first and second doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.
Her condition worsened on December 12, 2021, and she became unresponsive. Despite receiving appropriate medical care, her condition deteriorated rapidly and she died on December 13, 2021.
The coroner ruled that her death was a medical misadventure.
To date, more than 17 million doses of the Covid-19 vaccine have been administered in Singapore through its National Vaccination Programme.
According to the latest vaccine safety update by the Health Sciences Authority, the incidence of myocarditis remains rare with reporting rates of 0.1 per 100,000 doses (0.0001 per cent) for bivalent vaccines, and 1.1 per 100,000 doses (0.0011 per cent) for the primary vaccination series of the monovalent vaccines.
“Available data suggests that the majority of cases of myocarditis following vaccination are generally mild and respond to treatment,” the Health Ministry said.
“Covid-19 infection is also known to be associated with myocarditis, several times higher than the incidence after vaccination.”
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The ministry said that since September 2021, as a precautionary measure, vaccinated people are advised to avoid strenuous physical activity or exercise for two weeks after vaccination to mitigate the potential risk of myocarditis.
People with chest discomfort, abnormal heartbeats or any other symptoms that arise after vaccination, should seek medical attention promptly.
“This will enable early diagnosis and appropriate medical management of any rare severe adverse events that may occur after vaccination,” the ministry said.
“The Ministry of Health, the Expert Committee on Covid-19 Vaccination and HSA will continue to monitor vaccine-related serious adverse events closely.”
