Autopsy findings in deaths following severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 vaccination

Abstract

Background: Vaccination has emerged as an effective tool to prevent severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 disease (COVID-19). Concerns regarding adverse effects of vaccine are one of the reasons for vaccine hesitancy. One way of addressing the concerns is by studying post-vaccination deaths. This article presents the autopsy findings of the six individuals who died within 6 weeks post-COVID-19 vaccinations. Methods: This was a retrospective study of autopsies done between January and June 2021 in recipients of COVID-19 vaccination. All the organs were preserved. After adequate fixation, the organs were grossed and sections were taken. Results: A total of 6 patients who died after receiving COVID-19 vaccine were autopsied during the study period. All six cases had received Covishield® vaccine. All the individuals were aged between 40 and 60 years, with four males and two females. The duration between vaccination and death ranged from 24 h to 11 days. Three cases had pathology in the kidney, two cases showed pathology in the heart and one case showed pulmonary oedema in both lungs. Conclusions: This article throws light on post-mortem findings of deaths associated with COVID-19 vaccination.

Keywords

• coronavirus disease vaccine deaths
• emphysematous pyelonephritis
• kidney disease
• pulmonary oedema
• thromboembolism