'Did my brother die because of his second vaccine dose?'

 

Tan Yee Tom, 58, was found unconscious on his bedroom floor in Kepong, Kuala Lumpur, more than an hour after receiving his second dose of the Pfizer vaccine on Aug 1.

His family wants the government to reveal if the retiree's death was related to the vaccine.

Speaking to the media at the Kepong DAP office today, his brother Yee Ching said the deceased received his vaccination at the Malaysia International Trade and Exhibition Centre (Mitec) just before noon and underwent a 30 minute observation period.

“We found him lying unconscious on his bedroom floor and called for an ambulance at about 2pm but the operator advised us to send him to the hospital instead.

“We called for an ambulance again at 2.55pm and it arrived about 20 minutes later. Yee Tom was then taken to the Selayang Hospital,” he added.

Yee Ching said the doctor told them that his brother suffered brain hemorrhage and had a slim chance of surviving even if a surgery is performed.

When the family requested for Yee Tom to be transferred to the Kuala Lumpur Hospital, the doctor said the response would be similar at that hospital and furthermore the ICU is full with Covid-19 cases.

Yee Tom was pronounced dead at 7.45pm.

His brother said the death certificate, which was issued the next day, stated that Yee Tom died due to a “hypertensive emergency with massive intracranial bleeding”.

“We would like the Health Ministry to provide us with an answer if the vaccination had any link to his death?” he added.

The family also said they were not aware that a post-mortem could be requested.

Left with no alternative and in the absence of proper guidance on how to handle the issue, the family cremated his remains two days ago.

“We were not guided, no post-mortem and no response,” rued Yee Ching.

He said his brother suffered a stroke eight years ago and was certified as a person with disability (OKU). 

"Yee Tom had no major challenges on movement, could still make coffee and tea on his own.

"After his first dose, he was completely fine," Yee Ching said.

Meanwhile, Kuala Lumpur DAP's public complaints bureau chief Yew Jia Haur urged the government to be more transparent on deaths suspected to be linked to Covid-19 vaccinations.

“We are not discouraging people from getting vaccinated, but I think the government should be more transparent about handling such incidents,” he said.

Yew added that his office would assist the family to apply for compensation from the related government agencies.

Malaysiakini has contacted the Health Ministry for comment and is awaiting a response. - Mkini