A 35-year-old female medical worker in the Mekong Delta province of An Giang died on May 7 of anaphylactic shock after receiving a dose of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine a day earlier.

Illustrative photo (Source: VNA)

Doctor Tu Quoc Tuan, Director of the provincial Department of Health, confirmed the death late on May 7, making this the first death from adverse reaction to COVID-19 vaccine in Vietnam since the country started its inoculation drive using primarily AstraZeneca doses in early March.

The woman was working at Tan Chau Region General Hospital and received the vaccine shot on May 6.

After the injection, the patient went into shock and was treated by the Tan Chau Regional General Hospital in accordance with the protocol. The hospital also consulted with experts and doctors from the An Giang Province General Hospital and Cho Ray Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City via the online consutation system regarding the treatment.

She was then transferred to the An Giang Province General Hospital, and the Ministry of Health instructed the Cho Ray Hospital to send intensive care specialists there to provide emergency assistance, but the patient did not survive.

The official cause of death was registered as anaphylaxis, with an underlying condition identified as an allergy to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.

The health ministry’s notice said this is an extremely rare incident in regards to COVID-19 vaccinations.

Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long called the woman's family to send his condolences and sympathies for their loss as well as the loss of An Giang’s frontline healthcare forces.

Earlier on May 6, Long along with three of his deputies received AstraZeneca doses, stressing the need to ensure a safe vaccination programme.

The Ministry of Health has established a steering committee for safe immunisation, which brings together leading experts and professors in all relevant fields to be ready to assist localities in handling any situation arising during the vaccination drive, Long said.

As of May 7 morning, 747,827 people in Vietnam, mostly frontline workers and medical staff, had received COVID-19 vaccine shots./. VNA