Rory Nairn, 26, from Dunedin, died in the home he shared with his fiancée Ashleigh Wilson on November 17 last year and a three-day inquest into his death began last month.
Yesterday, coroner Sue Johnson released an initial decision confirming that the man had died of myocarditis, a heart condition, as a result of the Pfizer vaccine he received 12 days before his death.
She had yet to consider the circumstances of Mr Nairn’s death, whether it could have been prevented and whether any recommendations or comments were needed.
“Given the public interest as to whether or not Rory’s death was related to the Covid-19 vaccination he received on November 5, 2021, I feel it is important to make my findings on Rory’s cause of death public once I have established it. ,” Ms. Johnson explains.
The investigation revealed that Mrs. Wilson and Mr. Nairn had been out for breakfast to celebrate the purchase of their dream home, when he made an impromptu decision to get the shot.
At a family dinner later that night, he noted that his chest felt “weird” and made further revelations about palpitations in the following days.
On the night of his death, Mr Nairn’s discomfort worsened and just minutes after agreeing to go to hospital, he collapsed in the bathroom.
Emergency services rushed to the scene, but he was pronounced dead shortly after.
The investigation found that Mr Nairn had not been warned about the risks of myocarditis.
The pharmacist who vaccinated him said it wasn’t company protocol to specifically state it, and at the time she was unaware it could be fatal.
Both she and the pharmacy where Mr Nairn was vaccinated have name suppression.
The corona investigation also heard from managers associated with the Ministry of Health, Te Whatu Ora Southern and Medsafe.
Many of the questions focused on communication between different health departments and vaccinators.
Pathologist Noelyn Hung said Nairn’s heart was “soft and pale” when she examined it.
There was no test to show that the myocarditis was caused by the vaccine, but she told the court it was “diagnosis by exclusion.”
Mr Nairn had no rheumatic fever, there were no signs of bacteria, viruses or fungi and he had not taken any antipsychotics known to cause inflammation of the heart muscle.