Woman, 55, Dies Of Stroke Days After Vaccination

The Department of Health has confirmed that a 55-year-old woman who suffered from chronic illness died on Saturday morning, days after she had received the Sinovac Covid jab.

The woman was inoculated at Kwun Chung Sports Centre on Tuesday, and suffered an acute stroke on Friday. She was treated at Caritas Medical Centre before being transferred to Kwong Wah Hospital.

A co-convenor of the expert panel looking at possible side-effects from Covid vaccination, Ivan Hung, says the woman had high blood pressure as well as high cholesterol.

He says the inoculation programme will continue since they don't know whether her death is related to the jab. The panel will discuss the case on Monday.

Meanwhile, University of Hong Kong microbiologist Yuen Kwok-yung said the government was right to recommend that people aged 60 and above should be vaccinated first, as most people who had died from the virus were elderly.

He said he opted for a BioNtech vaccine as it offers better protection than the Sinovac version, noting that he often has to visit places where there are Covid outbreaks while investigating the cases.

Speaking before the news emerged on Saturday, Health Secretary Sophia Chan said there had been a drop in the number of people booking Sinovac vaccinations following the death of a 63-year-old man who had received the inoculation.

She urged anyone who was unsure about vaccination to consult their doctor.

Experts said the man's death was unlikely to have any connection to the vaccine. Initial results of an autopsy showed that he had coronary heart disease.

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