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A woman, Ontal Charlene Vargas, 43, died of myocarditis that was likely linked to the Covid-19 booster shot she received four days prior to her demise, the state coroner found.

The findings were presented by the state coroner to the Coroner's Court on Friday (Apr. 14).

This is the second instance in Singapore in which the state coroner found that a death from myocarditis is likely linked to Covid-19 vaccination.

Timeline of events

According to the state coroner's report, Vargas, who hails from the Philippines, had been working as a domestic helper in Singapore since 2014.

On Dec. 9, 2021, Vargas visited a GP clinic to receive her Covid-19 booster shot.

There, she responded in the negative to the list of questions in the Ministry of Health (MOH) form, including not being diagnosed with myocarditis from previous doses of Covid-19 vaccine.

After receiving her shot that day, Vargas was observed for 42 minutes and was subsequently discharged.

Vargas then returned home and felt well, according to her employer.

On Dec. 10, Vargas informed her employer that she felt very tired and out of breath.

She later visited the same GP clinic that morning with complaints of mild chest discomfort.

Vargas remained at the GP for medical checks and observations. She was later discharged in the afternoon when she reported no further chest discomfort, but was advised to visit the hospital or call an ambulance should the chest discomfort return.

At around 5:30pm on Dec. 10, Vargas again informed her employer that she was not feeling well. She then went to Singapore General Hospital (SGH) and was warded for medical care.

On Dec. 12, Vargas reported that her symptoms of breathlessness and chest pain were improving.

However, later in the afternoon, Vargas was found to be unresponsive and without pulse.

The attending nurse performed CPR and Vargas was successfully revived, though she remained unconscious. She was then intubated and transferred to the Medical Intensive Care Unit.

The doctors at SGH briefed Vargas' family in the Philippines on her condition, who then made the decision to remove ventilatory support.

Vargas passed away on Dec. 13.

Coroner's findings

Following her death, autopsy revealed that the cause of death was myocarditis.

In his findings, the state coroner noted that myocarditis can also be caused by viral, bacteria and fungal infections, autoimmune diseases and drugs.

The autopsy did not find evidence that such conditions were present in Vargas' case.

In view of this, the state coroner found that on the balance of probabilities, and considering that the onset of symptoms came in the days following the booster shot, Vargas' myocarditis was likely related to the Covid-19 vaccine booster.

The state coroner reiterated in its findings that the risk of developing myocarditis from the mRNA vaccines is extremely low and that the benefits outweighed the risks.

According to the state coroner, Vargas' family had successfully applied to the Ministry of Health (MOH) for the Vaccine Injury Financial Assistance Programme.

In a statement by MOH, it shared that Vargas' family received a one-time financial assistance of S$225,000.

The ministry also mentioned that to date, more than 17 million have been administered in Singapore.

"This is the second death related to COVID-19 vaccination locally," MOH added.

MOH further stated that according to the latest vaccine safety update by the Health Sciences Authority, the incidence of myocarditis remains rare with reporting rates of 0.1 per 100,000 doses for bivalent vaccines and 1.1 per 100,000 doses for the primary vaccination series of monovalent vaccines.

Top image via Canva