Plumber Rory Nairn was not told of myocarditis symptoms from Covid-19 vaccine amid 'confusing instructions', inquest told

Tuesday, 6 September 2022

Rory Nairn died less than two weeks after being vaccinated in 2021.

Rory Nairn, 26, was in good health when he was vaccinated on November 5.
The pharmacy that vaccinated him admitted it didn’t warn him about myocarditis or it’s symptoms, but said health advice it received was “confusing”.
Nairn experienced a symptom of myocarditis the night he was vaccinated, and again the night he died, November 17.

Confusion about advice to health practitioners meant a plumber who collapsed and died after getting the Covid-19 Pfizer vaccine was never warned of the possibility of it triggering a rare heart condition.

Rory Nairn, 26, died at the home he had bought with his fiancee Ashleigh Wilson on November 17, less than two weeks after receiving his first dose of the vaccine at a pharmacy.

The Dunedin man had developed myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscle that is a very rare side effect of the vaccine, and had complained of pain since receiving his immunisation on November 5.

He had experienced symptoms associated with the disease, including fluttering in his chest, but last week the coroner heard that the pharmacy had not warned him about myocarditis, nor its symptoms.

Coroner Sue Johnson wanted to know what happened in the lead up to Rory Nairn’s death in 2021.

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At Dunedin High Court on Tuesday, the final day of the inquest into his death, Coroner Sue Johnson said she wanted to know what Nairn was or wasn’t told about the disease and its symptoms, and would then consider recommendations which may prevent future deaths.

Myocarditis can result from viral infections such as flu and puts about 100 Kiwis in hospital each year.

It has been estimated to affect about 30 in every one million vaccine recipients in New Zealand, largely seen in males between the ages of 12 and 30 after the second dose.

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Initially vaccine hesitant, Nairn changed his mind to ensure his planned wedding in March wouldn’t face obstacles, such as gathering limits.

Over three days, Johnson was told of the several emails, memorandums, and online updates by several organisations, including Medsafe and the Immunisation Advisory Centre (IMAC), explaining the health sector’s growing understanding of myocarditis and its risks.

For months, different organisations told health professionals – including the pharmacy which administered the vaccine to Nairn – myocarditis was a rare but serious side effect that people being vaccinated needed to know about.

Senior employees of those agencies believed the instructions to inform patients were clear, but the pharmacy, which has name suppression, disagreed.

One of those instructions was part of a July 21, 2021 Medsafe alert, in which health professionals were told “vaccinated individuals” should seek medical attention if they experienced myocarditis symptoms.

Medsafe group leader Christopher James told the coroner on Tuesday such alerts were reserved for significant safety issues, so professionals such as pharmacists would have known to heed the advice.

While witnesses answered questions, a mould of Nairn and his fiancee’s hands was displayed on a table before the coroner.

The alert was referenced in subsequent Medsafe safety reports and communications from the Southern District Health Board, now named Te Whatu Ora Southern.

The pharmacy believed the use of the word “vaccinated”, being in the past tense, meant customers weren’t supposed to be told about myocarditis during the vaccination appointment itself.

Its lawyer, Ben Taylor, put that confusion to both James and Te Whatu Ora’s vaccine rollout lead, Karl Metzler, on Tuesday.

Metzler said the pharmacy did not warn Nairn about myocarditis, despite several communications, but agreed the use of the word “vaccinated” might be confusing.

If it wasn’t clear, James argued, the pharmacy would need to believe that once people were vaccinated, there was a second healthcare professional who would tell them about the symptoms – a step in the vaccination programme that didn’t exist.

“I agree, that would be absurd,” Taylor said.

Taylor asked why, if James believed the instructions were already clear, Medsafe sent another alert in December 2021, after Nairn’s death, explicitly instructing providers to warn customers of myocarditis.

“We became aware consumers weren’t being told about the risks, so we decided to up the ante,” James said.

Wilson, Nairn’s fiancée, sat through the entire inquest.

On its first day she told the coroner how they’d planned to start a family once they were married. Now, she had post-traumatic stress disorder from “watching the love of my life die.”

The pair were on their way to the emergency department when Nairn stopped to use the bathroom, then collapsed.

Wilson’s lawyer asked James why a risk of death in severe cases of myocarditis wasn’t included in the warning, saying it was “a key question” the family wanted to be answered.

James said he did not have the information available to answer.