The coronial inquest for a Dunedin man who died shortly after receiving the Covid-19 vaccine last year has begun.
Rory Nairn, 26, died at home on November 17.
An autopsy found he died of vaccine-related myocarditis, after experiencing symptoms over nearly a fortnight.
The partner of a Dunedin man who died shortly after receiving the Covid-19 vaccine says getting the jab was the worst decision of their lives. (Source: 1News)
Coroner Sue Johnson addressed the High Court at Dunedin on Tuesday morning.
“We’re here today because Rory isn’t with us anymore,” Johnson said.
She addressed the Nairn family directly, saying “I’m truly sorry for your loss”.
The Coroner explained that the inquest isn’t a trial, but just a fact-finding exercise.
“It's not my role to find fault or blame on the part of any person. My role is just to establish the facts,” Johnson said.
Many witnesses will be called on throughout the inquest, including Rory’s fiancé, his parents, as well as the person who vaccinated him.
Pathologists will be called on next week to give expert witness evidence.
“There have been some things that are already decided,” Johnson said.
“In relation to the post-mortem evidence, I’ve already accepted the fact that Rory died of myocarditis.”
Johnson says it’s not her role to look at any policy decisions taken about vaccinations generally or the merits or otherwise of decisions about vaccinating people in New Zealand, but to establish the facts about Rory’s death and whether she can make any recommendations.
Johnson says there are many factors that will be considered in the inquest.
“In essence, they’re really about what was known about myocarditis as a side effect of the Covid-19 Pfizer vaccine, what was communicated to the vaccinator who vaccinated Rory about myocarditis and what that vaccinator therefore knew about it.”
The inquest will also consider “whether and how Rory was informed of the risk of myocarditis before he consented to receive that vaccination and what symptoms he was advised to look out for following his vaccination and what he was told to do about it”.
Worst decision
Rory’s fiancé Ashleigh Wilson told the inquest about the weeks leading up to his death.
“Rory was initially vaccine hesitant as he didn't trust how quickly the vaccine had appeared,” Wilson said.
“Over time, the pressure to be vaccinated heightened. We were told we would no longer be able to go out for dinner or travel, get a haircut or hold on to our jobs as most workplaces were mandated.”
On November 5 2021, Rory received his first dose of the Pfizer vaccine.
Wilson describes it as “the worst decision of our lives”.
“Rory went in and was taken behind the screen for privacy. I was sitting on a seat just outside of the pharmacy and could partially hear the conversation and do not recall hearing any side effects being discussed.”
“Rory came out empty handed with no paperwork and we carried on with our day.”
Later that day, Wilson said Rory was rubbing his chest and said “it feels weird”.
He made the same comment the following day while driving.
Over a week later on November 17, Rory woke twice complaining of a weird feeling in his chest.
Wilson insisted they went to hospital for reassurance.
Rory agreed, but used the bathroom before they left the house.
“I then heard a loud heaving like noise and thought that Rory was vomiting. I ran to the bathroom and I was unable to open the door,” Wilson explained.
“I heard Rory's body fall to the ground. I was yelling his name but he was unresponsive, so I called 111.”
She was told to get into the bathroom, but was unable to.
“I was able to see Rory. Through the crack of the door I could see that he was dead.”
First responders administered CPR, but 40 minutes later, they pronounced him dead.
The following day, Wilson saw on Rory’s phone that he had looked up heart issues after getting a vaccine, and took a screenshot of myocarditis.
“This screenshot was taken a couple of hours before he died. If the wording put more urgency on the matter it could have saved his life,” Wilson said.
The inquest also heard from Rory’s father Brett, who said he was a keen hunter and rugby player and was generally fit.
“Getting the vaccine was an issue causing division in the family,” Brett said.
Pharmacist appears
Both the name of the pharmacist who vaccinated Rory, and the pharmacy they work at is suppressed.
In questioning, the pharmacist who vaccinated Rory said he came into the pharmacy on November 5 and they had an initial discussion.
The pharmacist told the court the vaccination process was the same for every customer.
Rory was taken into the vaccination booth and the pharmacist said they went through the common side effects of the vaccine - but did not specifically discuss myocarditis or chest pain as it’s an extremely rare side effect.
The pharmacist said they weren’t advised by their manager to discuss symptoms of myocarditis with patients.
Each customer is invited to take an information sheet that lists symptoms of vaccine side effects but he didn’t take this.
“It’s advisable that customers take the information sheet but we can’t force people to take them,” the pharmacist said.
The pharmacist also said Rory did not report any issues in his post vaccination observation period.
The pharmacist was questioned on the stand for hours, and was in tears in her final few minutes.
Myocarditis and pericarditis are rare side effects involving the heart. The rate in New Zealand is reported to be around three per 100,000 vaccinations or 0.003%, and can be treated if picked up early.
“One effects the lining around the outside of your heart - that's the pericarditis. The other effects the muscles of your heart which is the myocarditis, each of them has different investigations we can do to determine if that’s what’s going on,” Royal NZ College of GPs president Dr Samantha Murton told 1News says.
According to the Heart Foundation, most cases are mild and do not require treatment. The risk of myocarditis is significantly higher in those who contract Covid-19 while unvaccinated.
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