81-year-old man died of heart disease, not COVID-19 vaccination complications: MOH

SINGAPORE: The cause of an 81-year-old man’s death was ischaemic heart disease and not because of COVID-19 vaccination complications, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said on Thursday (Apr 15).

The Health Sciences Authority’s (HSA) Forensic Medicine Division reported that post-mortem, there was “no evidence of acute anaphylaxis or an allergic reaction at the injection site of the COVID-19 vaccine”, the Health Ministry added in a press release.

There was "extensive narrowing" of the three main blood vessels supplying blood to the muscles of the man's heart due to atherosclerosis.

Atherosclerosis is a disease where plaque builds up over time in the blood vessels that obstruct blood flow. Ischaemic heart disease is the lack of blood circulation to the heart muscles.

The ministry said in a press release it is aware of falsehoods circulating that COVID-19 vaccination has “clear and causal links” with stroke and heart attacks.

READ: POFMA correction directions issued to Goh Meng Seng, Singapore Uncensored over COVID-19 vaccination falsehoods

Correction directions under the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (POFMA) were issued to the People's Power Party's Goh Meng Seng over Facebook posts that the vaccination caused or substantially contributed to the death of the 81-year-old man.

An article published on the Singapore Uncensored website and then shared on its Facebook page also stated that the man died from vaccination complications.

“These allegations are false. As of Apr 14, there is no credible evidence for an increased risk of heart attack or stroke with the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines which are currently approved and offered in Singapore,” added MOH.

READ: Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine authorised for use in Singapore

READ: Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine approved by Singapore

COVID-19 vaccines used in Singapore have been assessed to be “safe and efficacious” by both the HSA and Expert Committee on COVID-19 vaccination.

“Medical teams are well-equipped and measures are in place at all vaccination sites to ensure the safety of vaccine recipients pre-, during, and post-vaccination,” said the Health Ministry.

“All vaccine-related incidents are taken seriously and healthcare professionals are required to report these incidents expediently to the MOH and HSA.”

READ: No indication that COVID-19 vaccine caused cardiac arrest in 72-year-old man: MOH

As of Apr 6, more than 1.6 million COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered in Singapore, with more than 535,000 completing the full vaccination regimen. The Government plans to complete the vaccination programme by the end of the year.

The two COVID-19 vaccines that are used in Singapore were reviewed by HSA and the Expert Committee on COVID-19 Vaccination independently.

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