Boy who had cardiac arrest after Covid jab is recovering
A 16-year-old boy who had cardiac arrest after his first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine is recovering steadily and has received $225,000 under the Vaccine Injury Financial Assistance Programme for Covid-19 vaccination (Vifap).
He is undergoing inpatient rehabilitation and can perform his activities of daily living without assistance, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said yesterday.
"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," it said.
It also said that the medical team will continue his treatment and monitor his condition.
He had collapsed at home after a weightlifting session on July 3, six days after receiving his first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech/Comirnaty vaccine. He had developed acute severe myocarditis, or inflammation of the heart muscle, which led to the cardiac arrest.
MOH said last month the teen had trained with "very heavy weights which were above his body weight".
He was in critical condition in the intensive care unit at the National University Hospital.
Yesterday, MOH said the myocarditis was most likely a serious adverse event caused by the vaccine that may have been aggravated by the strenuous lifting of weights and high consumption of caffeine through energy drinks and supplements.
The youth and his family have been given a one-time payment of $225,000 under the Vifap.
"The independent clinical panel appointed to assess and adjudicate the Vifap application found that while he has made good improvement, because his condition was severe and critical, he will require treatment and rehabilitation for some time yet to continue his recovery," MOH said.
It advised people to avoid strenuous physical activity for one week after getting their first and second doses of the vaccine.
In a written parliamentary reply last month, Health Minister Ong Ye Kung said that as at June 25, the authorities had approved a total of $451,000 under Vifap to 102 applicants who had suffered serious side effects from the vaccine.
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