A BBC presenter died from a blood clot on the brain due to complications of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine, a coroner has concluded.
Lisa Shaw died in May, just over three weeks after she had her first dose of the jab, an inquest in Newcastle heard on Thursday.
The 44-year-old – who was referred to by her married name, Lisa Eve, during the hearing – started to complain of a headache a few days after her vaccination and eventually went to A&E in Durham, where she was diagnosed with a blood clot and was transferred for specialist treatment at Newcastle’s Royal Victoria Infirmary.
The inquest heard that, despite treatments including cutting away part of her skull to relieve pressure, nothing further could be done and Shaw died on May 21.
At the end of the hearing, Newcastle senior coroner Karen Dilks gave a narrative conclusion, which said: “Lisa died due to complications of an AstraZeneca Covid vaccine.”
Earlier, pathologist Dr Tuomo Polvikoski told the coroner that Shaw, who was a well-known presenter for BBC Newcastle, was fit and healthy before receiving the vaccination.
Asked about the underlying cause of the fatal clotting on her brain, Dr Polvikoski said the clinical evidence “strongly supports the idea that it was, indeed, vaccine-induced”.
Shaw’s husband, Gareth Eve, attended the inquest with other members of the family.
They issued a statement, which said: “This is another difficult day in what has been a devastating time for us.
“The death of our beloved Lisa has left a terrible void in our family and in our lives.
“She truly was the most wonderful wife, mum, daughter, sister and friend.”
It comes as researchers found blood clots are 190 times more likely in people with Covid than from the AstraZeneca vaccine.
The University of Oxford studied the whole vaccinated population in the UK between early December and late April and found just 66 cases of blood clots in a vein per 10 million people – a chance of about one in 150,000.
However, in people who caught Covid the risk of a vein clot was 12,614 per 10 million people, or about one in 800.
The risk of developing low blood platelets was also found to be nine times higher in people with Covid than those who had been vaccinated with the AstraZeneca jab.
Julia Hippisley-Cox, a professor of clinical epidemiology and general practice at the University of Oxford and lead author of the paper in the BMJ, said: “People should be aware of these increased risks after Covid-19 vaccination and seek medical attention promptly if they develop symptoms, but also be aware that the risks are considerably higher and over longer periods of time if they become infected with SARS-CoV-2.”
