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.
Anne VanGeest, 35 (left and right), from Easton Township, Michigan, received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine on April 8. She developed a nonstop headache and was eventually taken to Mercy Health Saint Mary’s hospital, where she died on April 19
It comes after a pause was lifted on the J&J vaccine was lifted following blood clot concerns, mostly in women under age 50. Pictured: J&J vaccine at a pop-up clinic in Staten Island, New York
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 in a vessel burst, causing bleeding in the space between the brain and the surrounding membrane
A statement provided by Lambert PR, which is working pro bono for the family, 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.
The figure was later updated to include 15 people out of more than eight million given the J&J vaccine, or 0.00018 percent.
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.
The pause was lifted 10 days later, on April 23, after a committee of scientific advisers determined benefits of the vaccine outweighed any risks,
At least three women had died and seven remained hospitalized when the pause was lifted.
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.
However, the CDC would not confirm to the station whether or not it is investigating VanGeest’s death.
The family has started a GoFundMe page to cover funeral expenses and create scholarships for her children.
As of Monday afternoon, more than $27,000 has been raised out of a $50,000 goal.
