Singapore – The Singapore General Hospital (SGH) released a statement that no evidence has been found linking the symptoms of one of its warded patients to the Covid-19 vaccine.
Charlene Lin, 37, got vaccinated on Jan 24 and mentioned in a comment widely shared in social media that she felt dizzy after vaccination and suffered weakness in her legs.
Ms Lin, who works in the food and beverage industry, spoke to The Straits Times on Sunday (Jan 31) and shared her experience. The patient explained she had never experienced any allergies to medications before and inquired how to apply for the recently announced Vaccine Injury Financial Assistance Programme for Covid-19 vaccination (VIFAP).
After the first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine, Ms Lin felt dizzy and went to SGH’s emergency department for medical assistance. She went through various testing overnight and was discharged.
However, Ms Lin’s legs weakened, making her unable to walk. She was warded on Jan 25, the report noted.
On Sunday (Jan 31), SGH took to Facebook to confirm the incident. “We are aware of reports that an individual is currently warded at SGH after receiving the first dose of Covid-19 vaccine.”
“Our doctors have conducted multiple tests, and so far, there is no evidence that her signs and symptoms are related to the vaccine she received recently. We take a cautious approach and will continue to monitor her condition and conduct tests as needed,” said SGH.
Ms Lin went through various scans, and blood draws to pinpoint the cause and rule out diseases. She is scheduled to undergo further testing in the coming week. “My case is just one in a million, so I still support the vaccine,” she told The Straits Times. “Just… luck, I guess.”
On Jan 28, the Ministry of Health (MOH) announced that out of the 113,000 individuals tested as of Jan 27, 432 adverse events were reported by healthcare professionals.
“Most of these reports were for regular symptoms such as injection site pain and swelling, fever, headache, fatigue, body aches, giddiness, nausea and allergic reactions (such as itch, rash, swelling of eyes or lip). These symptoms are reactions generally associated with all vaccinations, and they generally resolved on their own within a few days.”
Furthermore, three reported cases of anaphylaxis, the rapid onset of severe allergic reactions, were quickly resolved by healthcare professionals, said MOH.
The VIFAP was introduced to provide financial assistance for affected persons in the rare event of serious side-effects assessed to be related to vaccinations. “This programme will give a greater peace of mind for those taking the vaccination,” said MOH.
The VIFAP will provide a one-time payout of up to S$10,000 to an eligible individual who is hospitalised requiring care in the High Dependency or Intensive Care Unit but subsequently recovers from medically significant serious side-effects.
The scheme would also provide a one-time payout of S$225,000 to an individual who dies or suffers permanent severe disability due to Covid-19 vaccination. -/TISG
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432 adverse events, 3 of them serious, linked to Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine