A ‘fit and healthy’ man died from a blood clot on the brain after being mistakenly given a controversial Covid 19 vaccine due to an administrative error.
Jack Last, 27, was only offered the Oxford AstraZeneca jab because records incorrectly listed him as living with his ‘at risk’ parents, a report has revealed.
The engineer from Stowmarket, Suffolk complained of suffering headaches after getting the jab on March 30, 2021. He died three weeks later on April 20.
Just a week after he got the jab Government health advisors urged people under 30 to have an alternative vaccination to the AstraZeneca jab due to an increased risk of fatal blood clots.
A new report released by Suffolk and North East Essex Integrated Care Board found Mr Last was only given the jab as he was wrongly identified as living with his parents.
Jack Last, 27, died at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge on April 20 2021 just a few weeks after getting the Oxford AstraZeneca jab
His sister Jasmine previously described Jack was ‘an amazing uncle’ to his nephew Reggie
She also described her brother as an ‘adventurer’, and said: ‘He did so much with his life’
His medical record mistakenly had the same landline number as his parents, who met the criteria for an at-risk age group.
But he had actually moved into his own home in 2018 and updated his contact details but his parents’ landline number had incorrectly remained on his record.
Mr Last was administered his first jab on March 30, 2021, days before new guidance would be issued offering the alternative Pfizer or Moderna vaccines for people under 30.
The report also found that his death was the consequence of ‘system shortcomings, human error, and tragic unfortunate timing’.
A family statement said it was ‘heartbreaking’ to learn of the errors which led to him being invited to receive the vaccination early.
They previously detailed how he had been surprised to be offered his first dose of a Covid vaccine so soon because he didn’t have any underlying conditions.
One day before Mr Last received his text on March 20, it was agreed to expand the criteria of those eligible for the vaccine to those living with eligible patients.
Searches were carried out by matching individuals to landline numbers and Mr Last was invited due to his records showing he was listed as ‘co-habiting’ with his parents.
He first started feeling ill on April 5 and he contacted the NHS 111 for advice on April 9.
Mr Last was later told by a clinical adviser to visit West Suffolk Hospital in Bury St Edmunds.
In 2016 Mr Last spent six months working with the British Antarctic Survey in Antarctica (pictured in his uniform), where he drove a traverse system to drop off scientific equipment
Later 2018, he got his US Pilot’s Licence, and travelled to California, where he flew over the Golden Gate Bridge, past the Hollywood sign (pictured)
A scan was performed on Mr Last by an out of hours service outsourced to a separate company.
The radiologist reported on the CT scan that there was no acute abnormalities in his brain. This was later found to be inaccurate.
The report says: ‘It would also have been advisable to send Jack straight away to another hospital or centre that could provide the CT venogram he needed, rather than waiting until the next day.’
A CT venogram was performed the following day and demonstrated a blood clot, delaying treatment by 15 hours.
The report concluded while this delay was unlikely to have changed the outcome for Mr Last, it was still a missed opportunity.
When his condition deteriorated, he was transferred to Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge.
Medical Director of the Suffolk and North East Essex ICB, Dr Andrew Kelso, said: ‘Our thoughts remain with the family of Jack and have been throughout this very tragic case.
The AstraZeneca jab was the most widely used in the UK during the initial rollout of the vaccination programme – before it was linked to a risk in blood clots
Researchers believe the rare side effect occurs due to the modified cold virus lurking in the jab having an adverse effect on platelets in the blood, triggering clotting
‘On behalf of all system partners, we are truly sorry for what has happened and for the loss, heartbreak and distress they must be experiencing.
‘Due to the seriousness of what happened, we immediately commissioned an independent review to fully understand what led to this tragedy and to identify learning.
‘We also wanted to give the family all the answers to their questions.
‘This independent review allowed the system to look at the incident from beginning to end, without the restrictions of organisational boundaries and without prejudice.’
An inquest into Jack’s death in 2022 ruled that he had died as a ‘direct result’ of the vaccination.
The AstraZeneca jab which has been effectively withdrawn was eventually discovered to carry a very rare risk of triggering potentially fatal blood clots.
This side effect missed in clinical trials simply because of how rare it was, is called thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS), or alternatively vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia (VITT).
Only officially spotted in March 2021, the complication causes people to suffer blood clots along with a low platelet count. Platelets typically help the blood to clot.
These clots can go on to cause death and disability. Some people suffered injuries to their brains whilst others have had to have limbs amputated.
The complication is exceedingly rare, given the millions of doses dished out during the roll-out. The risk is thought to be in the region of one in 50,000, though some estimates put it even lower.
Clotting cases were first spotted in the EU. Several nations on the continent went on to slow or even suspend their rollout of the jab.
Britain eventually followed its European neighbours, first stopping the jabs being used for people under 30 and then weeks later under 40.
Experts based this on younger groups being at less risk of Covid, meaning the benefits of being jabbed weren’t worth the risk.
Some 50 families and persons killed or disabled as result of the rare side effect are pursing AstraZeneca in the courts for compensation arguing its ‘defective’ jab claiming it was to blame for their injuries and deaths of loved ones.
If successful, it will be the British taxpayer that foots the bill, which lawyers have estimated could amount to upwards of £250million under a deal struck between the pharma giant and ministers in the darkest days of the Covid lockdown.
The deal was to shield jab makers from the risk of being sued for any extremely rare adverse side effects missed in clinical trials to ensure the vaccines could be rolled out in the UK as soon as possible and end the paralysing lockdowns.
TTS is thought to be linked to at least 81 deaths in the UK, according to figures collated by UK drug watchdog, the MHRA.
Not all are proven, however, and not every family is seeking legal action.
