Comorbidities increased risks of vaccinated health worker who died after contracting COVID-19

MANILA, Philippines — The health worker who died after receiving a coronavirus vaccine shot had comorbidities which may have put her at risk of developing COVID-19 despite inoculation, an official of the National Adverse Events Following Immunization Committee (NAEFIC) said Thursday.

Prior to vaccination, NAEFIC vice chairman Dr. Rommel Lobo said the 47-year-old female health worker declared that she had hypertension, diabetes and controlled bronchial asthma.

“She developed symptoms (of COVID-19) after vaccination. As I’ve said, the vaccine does not have anything to do with the infection. The exposure is responsible for this, the COVID-19 virus could be responsible for all the symptoms,” Lobo explained in an online briefing.

“So, the comorbidities present in this patient put her at risk for developing COVID-19, but it will not contribute to the association or contribute to the death of the patient,” he added.

The Department of Health and the Food and Drug Administration earlier said that the vaccinated health worker had died of COVID-19 and not because of the vaccine itself.

The health worker was vaccinated with the Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine CoronaVac on March 4 and had no symptoms upon screening, Lobo said.

On March 8, when the health worker tested positive for COVID-19, she “was advised admission but she refused.”

On March 10, she was eventually admitted to a hospital and three days later succumbed to COVID-19.

“The COVID-19 vaccine does not cause COVID-19 disease because it’s an inactivated vaccine. And none of the vaccines used in the Philippines can make people sick with COVID-19,” Lobo claimed.

EDV