KEY POINTS

  • Bounds complained of headache and feeling cold after going to a barbecue
  • Paramedics said Bounds had a pain score of 10 when they responded to a 999 call
  • Bounds' platelet count had been very low prior to his death, a doctor told the inquest

A man in England died of a severe brain-bleed that doctors say is caused by the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, according to an inquest.

Adam Bounds, a 41-year-old Devon resident, died on May 31 this year at a hospital in Plymouth, just 11 days after he received his AstraZeneca shot. He had been transferred from Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital prior to his death for neurosurgical intervention.

An inquest held after Bounds’ death found that he was complaining of a headache and feeling cold after going to a barbecue in Axminster. Bounds, who stayed at his parent’s home that night, told his father Les that he believed he “ate something dodgy” at the barbecue. He was later rushed to the hospital as his condition deteriorated, according to Plymouth Herald.

The inquest also found that Les was not aware if Bounds suffered from any trauma or head injury prior to his death. However, his father spoke of concerns over whether Bounds overexerted himself after he went to the gym.

Paramedics who responded to Les’ 999 call said Bounds told them he suffered from migraines and that his pain score, at the time, was a 10. The Devon man was also unable to stand properly.

A CT scan performed by doctors at the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital revealed that Bounds developed an acute right-frontal lobe hemorrhage, which required surgery. Doctors at the Derriford Hospital, where Bounds was transferred, said his brain had become “very swollen” during the operation. He later died due to intracerebral hemorrhage.

Dr. Wayne Thomas, a consultant hematologist at Derriford Hospital, told the inquest that Bounds had a low platelet count before his death. When asked what factors could “contribute” to the drop in Bounds’ platelet count, Thomas said the test results were likely “vaccine-induced thrombotic thrombocytopenia” caused by the AstraZeneca shot.

"We know from studies that this is very rare - there has only been about 260 cases described in the UK and we know that in the situation of patients who present with bleeding at the time of presentation that the mortality is around 70 to 75 percent,” he added.

In April, the European Medicines Agency’s safety committee concluded that unusual blood clots with low blood platelets should be listed as a rare side effect of the AstraZeneca shot.

Bounds’ funeral was held at the Minster Church in Axminster on June 18.

AstraZeneca vaccine
The AstraZeneca COVID vaccine is pictured. AFP / Saeed KHAN