Girl, 13, who fell after COVID vaccination now recovering at home

The 13-year-old girl who fell ill last week after receiving her first COVID-19 vaccine has been discharged from the hospital and is now recovering at home.

Mark Yusuff, the teen’s father, told Sunday Stabroek yesterday that while his daughter hasn’t completely recovered, she has been discharged from the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPH) and is now at home. He disclosed that he and his wife still have to keep watch over her intently as a result of her reaction.

However, he declined to comment further, while saying that his daughter’s condition is being politicised and the family is being victimised.

“Right now, we just want to focus on our daughter’s health and make sure she is okay,” he noted.

After her case was made public, the Health Ministry, which has been rolling out a national adolescent vaccination programme, moved to assure the public last Tuesday that the COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective.

The ministry is said to be investigating the case and it has not been confirmed that her illness was due to the vaccination.

The girl, who hails from Parika, was taken by her mother to be inoculated with the Pfizer vaccine on Tuesday morning. However, several minutes after she was vaccinated, she began experiencing shortness of breath before falling unconscious. She was hospitalised and discharged at least three times before once again requiring hospitalisation.

Although fewer children have been infected with COVID-19 compared to adults, children can be infected with the virus that causes COVID-19, get sick and spread the virus to others.