SALT LAKE CITY – The Utah Department of Health and the Office of the Medical Examiner released a joint statement on Thursday, saying the COVID-19 vaccine is not responsible for any deaths in Utah.
The statement came after reports that a 39-year-old Utah woman died shortly after her second dose of the vaccine.
The coroner recently completed investigations into “reported deaths in which the deceased recently received the COVID-19 vaccine,” says the statement, adding that agencies cannot legally discuss the details of the investigations without the family’s permission.
“OME has determined that NO DEATH has been caused by the COVID-19 vaccines so far in Utah,” says the document. “OME is committed to investigating all deaths that fall under its jurisdiction when the deceased recently received the COVID-19 vaccine.
“COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective. This is how we will end this pandemic.”
The statement adds that the agencies will continue to investigate the reported side effects of the vaccine and provide “absolute transparency” about them, but insists that public confidence in the vaccine is “critical”.
“To that end, we ask members of the media to wait for all the facts to be known before reporting information that could lead to an undue loss of confidence in these life-saving vaccines.”
Statistically, the chance of dying after receiving a coronavirus vaccine is considered extremely small. Anaphylaxis can occur after any vaccine, says the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, but it is estimated to occur in approximately two to five people per million vaccinated against COVID-19 in the U.S.
But the vaccine usually has some side effects. These include some related to the vaccination site itself, such as pain and redness; other common side effects include headache, muscle pain, fever, nausea and other flu-like symptoms. These side effects usually dissipate after a day or two.