Astra Zeneca jab directly caused Stonham Aspal man's death through a bleed on the brain, Coroner rules

A previously healthy man died of bleeding on the brain, which was a direct result of his body’s reaction to the AstraZeneca Covid jab, an inquest ruled.

Suffolk Coroner’s Court heard how 27-year-old Jack Last, an engineer from Stonham Aspal, died on April 20 last year – weeks after receiving the vaccine.

He had been admitted to West Suffolk Hospital in Bury St Edmunds on April 9, complaining of a headache and uncontrollable vomiting.

On Tuesday, senior coroner Nigel Parsley told the court that the jab triggered an over-reactive immune response, causing blood clots in multiple areas of Mr Last’s body.

Although Mr Last was soon diagnosed with cerebral thrombosis, it was not believed that this was vaccine-related.

The inquest heard that a specialist CT scan would have identified this link – but a lack of trained staff at the time meant this was not carried out as early as it could have been.

It was not until May – a month after Mr Last’s death – that official guidance came in allowing under-40s to choose an alternative to the AstraZeneca vaccine.

Consultant Dr William Petchey said: “It’s hard to explain now what this was like. This was not a condition any of us had trained for, or which we had experience with.”

He was subsequently moved to Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge for treatment, where he died on April 20.

Addenbrooke’s haematologists Dr Martin Besser and Dr Mark Robinson, who treated Mr Last, both said that, in their professional assessment, the patient’s sudden illness and death was vaccine-related.

Mr Last had no family history of blood clots, and was described by Mr Parsley as fit and healthy.

Closing the inquest, the coroner said: “I will record that Jack Last died of a blood clot to the brain, caused as a direct result of his body’s reaction to the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccination, which he had received on March 30, 2021.”

Mr Parsley expressed his condolences to Mr Last’s family, describing their response to the proceedings as dignified.

Michael Portmann-Hann, an associate with law firm FBC Manby Bowdler LLP, said they would now be pursuing a clinical negligence case on behalf of the Last family.

Speaking after the hearing, he said: “We’re grateful to the coroner for his detailed investigation.

“We are left with further questions about the standard of care provided to Jack, and our investigations will, therefore, continue into the same on behalf of the family.”

Craig Black, interim chief executive for West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We offer our deep and heartfelt condolences to Jack’s family and friends at this extremely difficult and painful time.

“We have been and continue to engage fully with all investigations looking into the circumstances of Jack’s tragic death.

“We have robust internal review processes and are taking forward learnings around our provision for out-of-hours radiology services.”

In a statement, Mr Last’s family said: “Jack was a happy, healthy young man and was looking forward to so many things. What a cruel waste of the whole rest of his life.”