Anne VanGeest Easton Township, Michigan mom of four, 35, dies from brain blood clot 11 days after Johnson&Johnson vaccine. CDC investigates newest J&J fatality.
The family of a Michigan woman says she died ‘as the result of complications after receiving the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine.’
Anne VanGeest, 35, a mother-of-four from Easton Township, was given the one-shot immunization on April 8, reported WOOD TV.
Five days later, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommended a temporary pause of J&J over blood clot concerns.
VanGeest’s family said that within a few days, she developed a nonstop headache.
She eventually was taken to Mercy Health Saint Mary‘s hospital in Grand Rapids, where she died April 19, 11 days after her inoculation.
https://t.co/U7Flqy7XbL: CDC investigating Ionia Co. 35 yr old Anne VanGeest’s death 11 days after getting J&J Vacx in Michiganhttps://t.co/fVCKDk4A4k
via @GoogleNews
— Fin Delaney (@FinDelaney2) May 4, 2021
Death a result of health complications after the shot
On VanGeest’s death certificate, her cause of death is an ‘acute subarachnoid hemorrhage non-traumatic,’ according to WOOD TV.
That means a blood clot caused the vessel burst, causing bleeding in the space between the brain and the surrounding membrane.
A statement provided by Grand Rapids-based public relations firm, Lambert PR, did not say she died as a result of the J&J vaccine, but instead called her death a result of health complications after the shot.
‘It is with profound sadness that we share the news of Anne’s passing, Anne (Annie), who was 35, was a loving mother, wife, sister and daughter,’ the statement read.
‘An active member in the animal rescue community, Annie will be remembered as a fierce advocate, a master multi-tasker and a caring friend by her colleagues, fellow volunteers and family.
‘We ask for privacy for her family as they mourn Annie’s passing and celebrate her life.’
On April 13, the CDC and FDA recommended a pause of the shot after six women developed rare, but serious, blood clots out of 7.2 million vaccinations.
Rare blood clot mostly affecting women under the age of 50
The figure was later updated to include 15 people out of more than eight million given the J&J vaccine, or 0.00018 percent. The individuals affected comprised mostly involving women under the age of 50.
All developed cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST) – a rare type of blood clot that blocks the brain’s sinus channels of draining blood – along with low blood platelet counts, known as thrombocytopenia.
All of those affected experienced complications between four and 28 days after receiving the vaccine, according to officials.
The pause was lifted 10 days later, on April 23, after a committee of scientific advisers determined benefits of the vaccine outweighed any risk.
The CDC confirmed in an email to the VanGeest family that it received a report of her death through the agency’s Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS).
‘It was filed by her healthcare provider,’ the email read in part, according to WOOD TV.
It is believed that the CDC is now investigating whether VanGeest’s death was the result of complications from the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
In total, VAERS obtained 13,725 adverse event reports for the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, and 97 percent were found to be non serious.
The family has started a GoFundMe page to cover funeral expenses and create scholarships for her children.
As of Tuesday night, more than $27,333 has been raised out of a $50,000 goal.
