Coroner's court starts first hearing on post-vaccination death

A 63-year-old smoker who suffered from hypertension and diabetes died two days after getting his first Sinovac jab, the coroner's court was told in its first hearing on a post-Covid vaccination death. 

Timble Li Yu-kun received the first dose of Sinovac's Covid-19 vaccine at Kwun Chung community vaccination center on February 26, the first day when Sinovac jabs were made available to public.

He felt unwell two days later and headed to Queen Elizabeth Hospital on his own. He died on the same day. 

A jury of two men and three women started hearing his case on Tuesday.

Li's friend Lam Hung-hoi testified that Li smoked one to two packs of cigarettes a day and seldom exercised. He suffered from hypertension, high cholesterol, and high blood sugar, as well as diabetes and problems with heart arteries.

The two had breakfast together a day after Li received the first jab. Li told Lam that he was queuing for coronary angioplasty, a procedure used to open clogged heart arteries.

Another friend, Kwong Ka-lok, testified that Li told him about heart discomfort in the past and suffered from shortness of breath.

Kwong gave Li a phone call several hours after his vaccination, and Li said he did not feel dizziness nor any chest pain. The two friends had dinner on the day of vaccination and again the day after, and Kwong said that he did not spot any abnormality.

At 6pm on February 28, Kwong drove to Li's home after he failed to reach the man. They reported to the police three hours later, and Li's separated wife and daughter arrived at the scene.

Officers found that Li died at around 4am to 5am. As the wife and daughter were unwilling to handle his funeral, Kwong took charge and went to the hospital for body identification.

Kwong said Li saw a doctor before he received the vaccination. He said he felt better after taking medication and decided to get jabbed a week later.

The friend also stated that Li smoked a cigarette every 30 to 45 minutes.

Kwun Chung vaccination center staff testified that patients with uncontrolled severe chronic diseases should not receive the vaccine. Two people were deemed unsuitable for vaccination on February 26, but Li was not one of them.