SALT LAKE CITY – The Utah Department of Health and the Office of the Medical Examiner released a joint statement Thursday saying the COVID-19 vaccine is not responsible for any deaths in Utah.
The statement comes after reports that a 39-year-old Utah woman died shortly after her second vaccination dose.
The medical examiner recently completed an investigation into “reported deaths where the deceased had recently received the COVID-19 vaccine,” the statement said, adding that the agencies cannot legally discuss the details of the investigation without family consent.
“The OME has determined that to date NO DEATHS has been caused by the COVID-19 vaccines in Utah,” he says. “The OME is committed to investigating all deaths under its jurisdiction where deceased people had recently received the COVID-19 vaccine.
“The COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective. That’s how we will end this pandemic.”
The statement adds that the agencies will continue to investigate reported side effects of vaccines and provide “absolute transparency” on them, but stresses that public confidence in the vaccine is “critical”.
“To this end, we call on the media to wait for all the facts to be known before providing any information that could lead to unnecessary 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 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, but it is estimated in about two to five people per million vaccinated for COVID-19 in the US.
But the vaccine often causes 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 disappear after a day or two.