Mother died after a stroke after a Covid booster jab, inquest hears

An 85-year-old woman died after suffering a stroke just days following her Covid booster jab, an inquest has heard. 

Mohinder Kaur Mahal's son, Baldev, said his mother was 'not herself' within a few hours of having the vaccination on October 19, 2022.

He said she was like that for a few days but significantly deteriorated on October 26 when she became unable to eat or speak. 

His mother was rushed to the Royal Derby Hospital where she died just days later n October 31. 

Dr James Scott, a consultant at the hospital, told the inquest Mrs Mahal suffered 'irreversible damage' from the stroke and also presented with an irregular heartbeat. 

Her family raised concerns after her death about a possible link between the Covid-19 jab and subsequent stroke.  

An inquest at Derby Coroners Court has now been launched to determine if the vaccine was a contributing factor. 

Consultant Royal Derby Hospital pathologist Cordelia Kirchoff-Stewens told the hearing that because the stroke happened a short while after the vaccination, she couldn't ignore the 'temporal relationship' between the two, which raised the possibility of a 'causal relationship'.

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She said: 'Is it a coincidence or not in an age group with risk factors? I can't prove it and there is no test to prove the vaccination was the cause. We don't know if we can categorically say she would still be here if she did not have the vaccination.

'Why shouldn't her symptoms after the vaccination be the build-up to a stroke? I am not sure it's black and white, it's a grey area. I cannot prove it or disclude it that the vaccination did not cause or contribute to the stroke.'

However, Dr Scott dismissed these claims. He said: 'There is no reason to suppose that there is any connection between the vaccination and the stroke.' 

The two-day inquest heard that Mrs Mahal had previously had a stroke in January 2021 but, after recovering, she had her first Covid vaccination in March 2021.

Over the next 18 months, she was in and out of hospital with a series of episodes that Dr Scott referred to as 'decompensation' - this occurs when the brain is working hard to reconnect pathways after a previous stroke.

Her son, Baldev, who acted as her carer, said his mother was very undecided about whether to have another vaccination but finally decided to have one about 18 months later after she had been in hospital for abdominal and chest pains and pneumonia. 

She left hospital on October 14, 2022, and received a vaccination at home in Pear Tree on October 19.

Mrs Mahal was administered the Pfizer jab by a nurse at her local GP surgery, Lister House in Derby. 

She had not had the initial second jab ahead of the booster but the inquest was told that, after the situation was flagged up to the UK Health Security Agency, it confirmed that it was fine to have given the jab but that the patient should complete the primary course at some point.

Assistant coroner Alison Noble said that she would consider all the evidence and give her conclusion on November 1 from 10.30am.