A nurse prepares an AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine dose for administration. — VNA/VNS Photo Thế Duyệt

HÀ NỘI — A 35-year-old female medical worker in the southern province of An Giang died on Friday of anaphylactic shock after receiving a dose of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine a day earlier.

Từ Quốc Thuấn, director of An Giang’s health department, confirmed the death late on Friday, making this the first death from adverse reaction to COVID-19 vaccine in Việt Nam since the country started its inoculation drive using primarily AstraZeneca doses in early March.

The woman was working at Tân Chân Region General Hospital and received the vaccine shot on Thursday.

After the injection, the patient went into shock and was treated by the Tân Châu Hospital in accordance with the protocol. The hospital also consulted with experts and doctors from the An Giang Province General Hospital and Chợ Rẫy Hospital in HCM City via telemedicine regarding the treatment.

She was then transferred to An Giang Province’s General Hospital, and the Ministry of Health instructed Chợ Rẫy Hospital to send intensive care specialists there to provide emergency assistance, but the patient did not survive.

The official cause of death was registered as anaphylaxis, with an underlying condition identified as an allergy to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.

The health ministry’s notice said this is an extremely rare incident in regards to COVID-19 vaccinations.

Health minister Nguyễn Thanh Long called the woman's family to send his condolences and sympathies for their loss as well as the loss of An Giang’s frontline healthcare forces.

Earlier on Thursday, Long along with three of his deputies received AstraZeneca doses, stressing the need to ensure a safe vaccination programme.

"The Ministry of Health has established a Steering Committee for safe immunisation, which brings together leading experts and professors in all relevant fields to be ready to assist localities in handling any situation arising during the vaccination drive," Long said.

As of Friday morning, 747,827 people in Việt Nam, mostly frontline workers and medical staff, had received COVID-19 vaccine shots. — VNS