Coroner confirms Rory Nairn's death was due to Covid-19 vaccine
Tuesday, 20 September 2022
Rory Nairn’s cause of death was vaccine-induced myocarditis, the coroner has concluded.
Nairn, 26, died on November 17, 12 days after receiving his first dose of the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine.
His death led to a coronal inquest. Coroner Sue Johnson interviewed several people to establish Nairn’s health at the time of death, and to rule out any other underlying cause.
On Tuesday, the Coroner’s findings were able to be released to the public.
Her findings included a report by pathologist Dr. Noelyn Hung, who said determining the cause of myocarditis was a diagnosis of exclusion because there was no test which could find the presence of the vaccine in the myocardial tissue.
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Hung took many samples to rule out other causes. The disease was a rare side effect of the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine, but could also be caused by other conditions, such as rheumatic fever or infections.
During a toxicological analysis, the only substances found in Nairn’s system was caffeine and a metabolite of nicotine.
According to the latest MedSafe safety report, dated August 31, three deaths were likely due to Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine-induced myocarditis, with two awaiting the Coroner’s determination.
Eight other cases were still under investigation.
The Coroner’s inquiry was ongoing. Still to be determined were the circumstances of Nairn’s death, if it could have been prevented, and if any recommendations were required to prevent further deaths.
Nairn was vaccinated on November 5, at a pharmacy which has interim name suppression.
On the first day of the coronal inquest, held in the high courtroom in Dunedin on August 30, the court heard that Nairn was initially vaccine hesitant.
According to his fiancée Ashleigh Wilson, Nairn decided to get vaccinated so their wedding, planned for March, would not face additional gathering limits.
Nairn was not told of myocarditis or its symptoms when he was vaccinated. The evening of November 5, Wilson said Nairn experienced heart flutters.
Because it wasn’t painful, he did not seek medical assistance. He also thought it could be due to stress, as he and Wilson had just bought a home they were renovating.
Nairn, a plumber, was in good health. It wasn’t until the night of November 16 he began to experience the fluttering again, and his symptoms worsened.
By the early hours of November 17, Nairn, who couldn’t sleep, agreed to go to the Emergency Department with Wilson.
Before leaving, he went to the bathroom and collapsed.
According to the Coroner’s findings, it was 4am when Wilson found him there, unresponsive, and called an ambulance. At 4.30am his death was verified.
Wilson was asked by the Coroner about comments she made on social media following Nairn’s death.
She said she’d been in denial about the vaccine’s involvement, so initially lied about prior symptoms in order to stop the bombardment of posts. She’d lost friends over the death, and her family had been “blown apart.”
They were meant to be married in March, and planned to start a family soon after, she told the Coroner.
“That’s all gone,” she said.