The youth who took his first dose of Covid-19 vaccine on June 27, 2021 is currently undergoing inpatient rehabilitation, the MOH said in a statement today.

“He is making good progress and can perform his activities of daily living without assistance. He will likely be discharged in the coming weeks, but will likely require outpatient rehabilitation for some time before he can return to school and resume other activities,” it said.

The ministry said medical investigations found that the youth had developed acute severe myocarditis which led to the out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.

“The myocarditis was likely a serious adverse event arising from the Covid-19 vaccine he received, which might have been aggravated by his strenuous lifting of weights and his high consumption of caffeine through energy drinks and supplements,” the MOH said.

Under the Vaccine Injury Financial Assistance Programme (VIFAP) provided by the ministry, the statement said a one-time financial assistance of S$225,000 (RM703,000) has been extended to the youth and his family.

“The independent clinical panel appointed to assess and adjudicate the VIFAP application found that while he has made good improvement because his condition was severe and critical, he will require treatment and rehabilitation for some time yet to continue his recovery,” it said.

The ministry noted that while there is a small increased risk of myocarditis or pericarditis following the administration of the vaccines, the local incidence rate remains low at 0.48 per 100,000 doses administered, based on ongoing monitoring by the Health Sciences Authority (HSA).

“The majority has responded well to treatment and have recovered or been discharged well from the hospital,” it said.