A woman has died in a nursing home just hours after she reportedly received her first coronavirus vaccine in Queensland, Australia.
Queensland Police confirmed the 82-year-old woman died on Wednesday, April 7, and that her death was not being treated as suspicious.
The woman was living at the Yurana aged care facility in Springwood in southeast Queensland and received her vaccine around 10am today, the Courier-Mail reported.
It’s unclear if the woman’s death is linked to the vaccine because she was battling several health issues, including lung disease.
A police spokesperson told Yahoo News Australia a report will be prepared for the coroner.
In a statement, Australia’s Chief Medical Officer Professor Paul Kelly said it is “inevitable” elderly people who get the vaccine will die soon after.
“Sadly more than 1000 people pass in aged care every week. It is inevitable, as the head of the TGA (Therapeutic Goods Administration) has noted, that this will include people who have been recently vaccinated,” he said.
“The medical experts and the TGA will review the specifics of such cases and reach a conclusion based on the facts.
“It can be expected that older and more frail people in an aged care setting may pass away due to progression of underlying disease or natural causes, this does not mean the vaccine has contributed to this.”
He added the TGA is monitoring Covid vaccinations in elderly patients all over the world and is in contact with regulators across the globe.
“The TGA will continue to monitor the safety of COVID-19 vaccines as they are rolled out in Australia and internationally,” he said.
“As with any other reported case it is investigated although at this stage there are no signs of any causal link.
