44-year-old award-winning radio presenter, Lisa Shaw has died following blood clots after she received the Oxford/AstraZeneca COVID vaccine, her family has said. She began suffering from "severe" headaches a week after having the jab, which has been linked to clotting, and fell seriously ill a few days later, according to relatives.
The mother-of-one died at the Newcastle’s Royal Victoria Infirmary on Friday afternoon, following treatment in intensive care for blood clots and bleeding on the brain. People under the age of forty are being offered an alternative to the vaccine in the UK following cases of blood clots on the brain.
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) say the benefits of taking the AstraZeneca vaccine outweigh the risks associated with it. However, they admit the link between the vaccine and blood clots is getting firmer, although this has not been proven yet. Doctors have been told to look out for signs of stroke in patients who received the jab after one person died and two others needed hospital treatment.
In a statement released to the BBC, Lisa’s family has said they are “devastated” and left with a “Lisa-shaped hole” in their lives. “We will love and miss her always. It's been a huge comfort to see how loved she was by everyone whose lives she touched, and we ask for privacy at this time to allow us to grieve as a family.”
An MHRA spokesperson said: “We are saddened to hear about the death of Lisa Shaw and our thoughts are with her family. As with any serious suspected adverse reaction, reports with a fatal outcome are fully evaluated by the MHRA, including an assessment of post-mortem details if available. Our detailed and rigorous review into reports of blood clots occurring together with thrombocytopenia is ongoing.”
An interim fact-of-death certificate which lists a “complication of AstraZeneca COVID-19 virus vaccination” as a consideration, according to the BBC report. Acting executive editor at BBC Radio Newcastle, Rik Martin has said everyone at the station “is devastated” and thinking of Lisa’s family. He said Lisa was “a trusted colleague, a brilliant presenter, a wonderful friend, and a loving wife and mum. She loved being on the radio and was loved by our audiences.”
