On 25th April, a 65-year-old woman passed away after receiving her Covid-19 vaccination. Many were concerned as at that time, the cause of her death was not known. However, according to the Pahang Health director Datuk Dr Bahari, her death was caused by bowel ischemia with perforation.
Although it has been confirmed Ma Meilan’s (马美兰) death is not related to the vaccination, her family members are still concerned as to what caused it. During her funeral today (27th April), her younger brother Ma Zhaohan (马昭汉) expressed his doubt as his sister has always been healthy.
The 62-year-old businessman said during an interview that he can’t believe that such a good person has gone. Their family are still discussing as to whether to continue the investigation, but no decision has been made yet. Zhaohan said that previously, his sister had shown interest in being vaccinated. The family was worried as Meilan had undergone a kidney transplant. Some asked her to check with her doctor and observe her health for a while before getting the vaccination.
However, none of them counted on Meilan’s pro-activeness. During her follow-up visit to the doctor, she consulted and applied for a vaccination via her doctor. About a day after her vaccination, Meilan was admitted to the hospital as she was vomiting and had abdominal pains. Zhaohan was the one to take her to the hospital. He asked Meilan why she hadn’t listened to their advice, but she only said that the incident had already happened, talking about it would be useless.
“Meilan was vaccinated because she wanted to go to China after the epidemic was over and the country had already opened up its borders,” Zhaohan explained. Meilan apparently was the first person in Kampung Baru Sri Jaya, Pahang to receive the vaccine. She told her family and neighbours after the vaccination that it didn’t hurt and she didn’t feel anything.
Meilan was a beloved figure around Kampung Baru Sri Jaya. Her family and neighbours shared fond memories of her during her funeral. “This is where we would chit chat,” Ma Meihua (马美花), Meilan’s cousin said, showing the side of Meilan’s house. They would usually meet and chat there every day from 2pm to 6pm. “Next to Meilan’s house is a small road and a pasture,” Meihua said. “In order to provide shade, Meilan planted mango trees next to the pasture. We also placed chairs next to her house so that everyone could sit and talk during gatherings.”
Meihua remembered the day Meilan was vaccinated. Meilan was happy to share her feelings with others. She told everyone not to be afraid and nervous as there was no pain at all. “Even if Meilan is gone, we will still talk here,” Meihua said, referring to their little meeting spot. “This is a way of remembering Meilan.”
While Meilan’s death was not caused by the Covid-19 vaccine, her death has affected the village badly. Many were concerned and worried, with people outside their village even reaching out to the head of Kampung Baru Sri Jaya, Zhou Guozheng (周国政) to ask about her death.
Guozheng stated he does not have medical knowledge so it is difficult to say exactly what happened. However, he does encourage everyone to get vaccinated.
Source: China Press
