An 18-year-old died two weeks after having her Covid vaccination when a blood clot caused a 'thunder clap' headache. Kasey Turner was admitted to hospital two weeks after having the AstraZeneca vaccine.
An inquest this week heard her severe and sudden headache was the result of a thrombosis in her sinus cavity. Kasey was admitted to Barnsley Hospital's A&E department on the morning of September 23, 2021 with the "worst headache" that she had ever experienced. Partly because of a low platelet count in her blood doctors ruled out a brain hemorrhage.
But the student paramedic, was actually suffering from a cerebral venous thrombosis - a blood clot in the sinus cavity - which had been brought on as a result of the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine. Her inquest found doctors at Barnsley Hospital had "missed opportunities" to diagnose the fatal clot, reports YorkshireLive.
Kasey had received her dose of the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine two weeks before her admission to hospital as part of the Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust's immunisation programme. Kasey was on a placement as a frontline worker and was offered her vaccine before it was rolled out to other 18 year olds. Her inquest heard that she had suffered all of the "common" side effects of the vaccine and that these lasted for approximately 12 to 18 hours.
Two weeks later, Kasey was "screaming in pain" with the "worst headache" she had ever experienced. When she was admitted to hospital, a CT scan was reported as "normal" and Kasey remained in hospital. Three days after her admission, Kasey was administered with a dose of platelets and her inquest heard that she began to rapidly deteriorate. Kasey began to suffer from fits and her inquest heard that she was "not responding to seizure control".
Kasey was intubated and put on a ventilator and then doctors performed another CT scan which showed that she was suffering from a cerebral venous thrombosis. It was decided that brain surgery would not be in Kasey's best interest as it could have left her with "significant brain damage".
The following day Kasey's condition had not improved. Sedative drugs were withdrawn so that doctors could assess Kasey's neurological state. Kasey was found to be "brain stem dead" so mechanical ventilation was withdrawn and she died later that day.
The court heard from Professor Michael Makris, a professor of haemostasis and thrombosis at the University of Sheffield, who told the inquest that a fatal condition associated with the AstraZeneca vaccine was discovered, in March 2021, after Kasey's death. He told the inquest that this condition, known as vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia (VITT), was a "key" element in her death.
When the condition was identified, Professor Makris analysed a sample of Kasey's blood - which had been kept on record - and found that she had all five "factors" that are required to make a positive diagnosis of VITT. These factors include a low platelet count and a venous thrombosis.
Recording a narrative verdict, Mrs Rawden agreed that the AstraZeneca vaccine led to Kasey's death and recorded her death as being the result of a cerebral venus thrombosis, brought on by VITT as a result of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccination. The court heard that, had Kasey not had been a student paramedic, she would likely not have had the AstraZeneca vaccine. This is because she would have been vaccinated later - when the general roll-out for 18 year olds was in place - by which time the AstraZeneca risks to those under the age of 30 would have been known.
In a statement read to the court, Kasey's mum, Donna, said: "I wish that the AstraZeneca vaccine was not offered to Kasey and that she'd waited until it was rolled out to 18-year-olds nationwide."
Paying tribute to her daughter, Donna said: "Since learning to talk she would never shut up, constantly talking about any random rubbish just so that she could talk. She was the biggest drama queen you could ever meet, she had no filter and she told it how it was and told people what she thought, regardless of what the outcome would be.
"Kasey was the life and soul of the party, she'd light up every room that she walked into and was the most caring person. She was loved by so many, she made an impact on everybody she ever met and no one will ever forget her. She made her family so proud every day.
"She was definitely one of a kind and I will never meet anyone else quite like her. Losing Kasey so suddenly when she was healthy and just starting out on the pathway to her chosen career has absolutely broken me and our family. I never thought I would have to say goodbye to my 18 year old daughter in such sudden circumstances."
Concluding the inquest, Mrs Rawden said that there had been a "missed opportunity" to identify the cerebral venous thrombosis and that, had this been identified, it is likely that the medical management of Kasey would have changed.
But, she added: "At the tme of Kasey's death the conditon of VITT and thrombosis was not known, and therefore it cannot be said that any change in medical management or earlier identification of the thrombosis would have prevented her death."
Mrs Rawden added: "There are no words that are adequate to explain the loss of this incredible young lady, that I'm sure would have served her community for many, many years as a paramedic. I'm sorry that she didn't get to complete that training and I'm sorry that your lives have been so devastated by this terribly tragedy. I don't think there's anything that anybody can say."
