A 14-year old student of Kamwatta Village In the Moruca sub-region died on Monday after , shortly after taking the second dose of the Pfizer vaccine.
Reports are that Joshua Henry was playing cricket with his siblings when he collapsed while preparing to bowl the ball. He had complained earlier that he was feeling weak shortly after he took his second jab of the COVID-19 vaccine at a health post in the village.
According to a villager, a vaccination team visited Kamwatta on Monday and Henry went to the site unaccompanied by an adult to take his vaccine. Reports are that his complexion began to change and it was while playing cricket he started to feel unwell. He collapsed sometime before 4pm.
A community health worker was called to look at his condition and she visited his family’s home. She then decided to take the child to the Kumaka District Hospital at Santa Rosa but he reportedly died while enroute to the medical facility in a car.
On Monday night the village was stunned as news of Henry’s death spread and persons at the village told the Village Voice that the child’s parents have requested an autopsy be performed before he is buried. Health officials in the region were informed of his death and the family has also made contact with Ministry of Health to voice their concerns over the child’s passing.
The Ministry of Health has been advocating for school children who are eligible to take the vaccine to get vaccinated. A number of persons have complained that there children have various underlying health conditions which are preventing them from giving the green-light for their children to be vaccinated.
