Singapore — A 16-year-old boy is currently in critical condition at the intensive care unit (ICU) suffering from cardiac arrest after exercising following the first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine.
The Ministry of Health (MOH) was alerted on Sat (Jul 3) by Khoo Teck Puat Hospital to the case of the teenage Singaporean patient who had collapsed at home that morning and eventually treated at the emergency department of the hospital.
The patient was subsequently transferred to the National University Hospital (NUH) on Saturday night. He is in critical condition at the ICU, said MOH in a press release on Monday (Jul 5).
According to MOH, the patient received the first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine on Jun 27.
He was assessed by trained healthcare personnel to be suitable for Covid-19 vaccination and was observed on-site for about 30 minutes after the jab. He was noted to be well post-vaccination and for the following five days.
Prior to his collapse on Jul 3, it was reported that the patient did weightlifting at the gym.
MOH revealed that the teen would train with very heavy weights above his body weight.
The preliminary diagnosis of his condition is an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, said MOH.
Clinical and laboratory tests are in progress to further understand the underlying cause. MOH is also in contact with NUH medical team to provide close medical care for the patient.
It is being determined if the case is linked to the Covid-19 vaccination.
“This will include a thorough consideration of whether there was acute severe myocarditis, which is severe inflammation of the heart muscles affecting the heart function, as a possible diagnosis,” MOH added.
Meanwhile, the Expert Committee on Covid-19 Vaccination will monitor the outcome of the investigation.
The Health Sciences Authority and the Expert Committee recommend that vaccinated individuals avoid strenuous physical activity after either the first or second dose of a Covid-19 vaccine.
“We advise all persons, in particular adolescents and younger men aged less than 30 years old, to avoid strenuous physical activity for seven days after their vaccination, be it the first or second doses, as a further precautionary measure,” said MOH. /TISG
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