Casey Turner, 18, dies four days after being admitted to Barnsley Hospital, receiving first dose of AstraZeneca COVID vaccine
An 18-year-old girl died after suffering a “thunderclap headache” just days after receiving her first dose of the AstraZeneca COVID vaccine, an investigation has heard.
Casey Turner, believed to be one of the youngest people to die as a side effect of the jab, was taken to intensive care last February with a headache of acute onset.
She died four days later at Barnsley Hospital, after an inquiry into her death was heard.
The Sheffield Coroners Court heard that the teenager was given the vaccine earlier than the rest of her age group because of her role as a student paramedic at Teesside University.
Her grieving mother, Donna Turner, told the court that she wanted her daughter to wait until the vaccine was started for her age group.
He believed this would mean Casey would not have received the AstraZeneca jab because there would have been a greater awareness of the risk of blood clots.
In a statement read to the court, Donna said: “I understand the need for vaccines to protect myself and others, but looking back, I wish the AstraZeneca vaccine had not been given to Casey and she would have waited until until it is rolled out to 18 year olds across the country.
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“This would mean that awareness of the risk of blood clots associated with the vaccine would be known and Casey would not have this particular vaccine because of the increased risk and it has been withdrawn for people under 30.
“I understand the need for all frontline workers but she was not on placement at that time as she was on placement only at certain times.
“She was not dealing with patients and the risk was not great for her.
“I think if Casey had known about the potential risks of blood clots on stage — if she had been given the odds, she would still have gone ahead with the vaccine because the risk was so small.”
The AstraZeneca COVID vaccine was previously associated with an increased risk of blood clots, with low levels of platelets affecting a younger group of people, which health officials described as “extremely rare”.
The UK later issued a guideline on 7 April 2021, that people under the age of 30 should be offered an alternative vaccine.
The government on May 7 issued updated guidelines that people under the age of 40 were to be offered an alternative to the AstraZeneca vaccine.
Casey received her vaccination on February 13, 2021, as part of a COVID-19 vaccination program for patient-facing operational staff.
At the time, the vaccine was considered appropriate for all adults over the age of 18.
Donna said Casey was more confident of the vaccine because she saw how seriously the virus affected others during her placement.
In October 2020, he himself had Kovid.
Donna said Cassie’s death has changed the family’s views on the vaccine and its safety.
Casey’s twin sister Morgan also had the AstraZeneca vaccine, when the link between the vaccine and clot risk was not known.
The family then decided that Morgan would not receive a second dose, but she did get Pfizer’s vaccine in December of last year.
In a soulful tribute by her mother, read in court, Donna described Casey as “cheeky, loud and bubbly” ever since she was little.
She said: “She was never silent, constantly talking about any kind of nonsense so she could talk.
“She was the greatest drama queen you could ever meet.
“Despite being 18 during the lockdown, when pubs reopened, she still stayed out several nights.
“She was the life and soul of the party, lighting up every room she visited.
“She looks absolutely one of a kind and there will never be anyone else like her.
“The sudden loss of Cassie when she was healthy and on the path of her chosen career absolutely broke me.
“I never thought that I would have to say goodbye to my 18-year-old daughter in such sudden circumstances.
“She would be one of the very few unlucky people to have a reaction to a vaccine that was supposed to keep her and others safe.
“Our lives have changed forever.”
Assistant coroner Tanya Roden returned a narrative conclusion that Cassie had blood clots due to vaccine use or vaccine-induced immune thrombocytopenia (VITT).
She also noted that when Casey had her first CT scan, thrombosis was present on that scan, but VITT was not identified until March 19, when concerns over the risk were first raised.
She said: “When Casey was in the hospital, it was not a known condition, it was not known that people would react to the vaccine in this way.”
Additionally, she said that by June 2021, due to the work of the expert panel and changes in guidelines, VITT had “nearly disappeared”.
She continued: “I can see that the changes that have been implemented since VITT were identified in such a way that if someone presents like Casey today, there will be an appropriate investigation and appropriate treatment.”
Addressing the family of Casey, who was present at the interrogation, he said: “No words are enough to explain the loss of this incredible young woman, who I am sure spent many years as a paramedic in her community. would be of service.”
After Casey’s death, his family raised funds for the Barnsley Hospital Intensive Care Unit and the Yorkshire Ambulance Service in Casey’s memory.
At the time, her mother posted on Facebook: “I can’t thank the ICU staff enough for the care and support not only of my beautiful daughter but also to me and our family.
“Really wonderful people.”
According to the British Heart Foundation, 79 people have died from the AstraZeneca Kovid vaccine.
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