PUTRAJAYA: The cause of death of Health Ministry's senior principal assistant director Dr Chai Koh Meow was heart failure and not due to Covid-19 vaccination as widely speculated.
Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said based on the post-mortem report, Dr Chai died from hemopericardium due to coronary artery disease and myocardial infarction.
"We would like to express condolences to the family of the late Dr Chai and thank his brother for allowing us to share the post-mortem results (with the public).
"We are saddened by the loss. Dr Chai was a dedicated and hardworking staff member," he said during a press conference.
Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said he hoped that the clarification could put an end to any speculation about Dr Chai's death.
He said there was no direct link between Covid-19 vaccines and death based on studies done by the ministry.
"We will definitely share the findings, if there is death cases linked to the vaccines.
"We hope with this (explanation), we can put any speculation to rest and urge the public to take the booster dose (to improve immunity coverage)," he said, adding that studies also found that the vaccine's benefits outweigh the risks.
It was reported that Dr Chai, who died on Nov 17, completed his Covid-19 booster dose on Nov 9 and did not report any extraordinary side effects after receiving the vaccination.