An inquest heard that a 15-year-old girl passed away after deteriorating “astonishingly” swiftly from a rare heart inflammation linked to Covid.
In September of last year, Jorja Halliday, a resident of Portsmouth, Hampshire, passed away at Queen Alexandra Hospital.
Her GP sent her to the hospital as an emergency when her heart started to race and she was having trouble swallowing.
Previously, Jorja’s mother Tracey said that she passed away the day before she was scheduled to receive the Covid-19 vaccination.
She testified before the Portsmouth Coroner’s Court that her daughter first felt ill in the early morning hours of September 24 and that day she tested positive.
Antibiotics had been given to Jorja for a sore throat, but on September 28, her condition had gotten worse and she was still throwing up.
She was sent to the hospital when a GP discovered she had a heart rate of 147 beats per minute.
The girl, who was the oldest of five children, was medically put into a coma so that she could be taken to Southampton for specialised care.
However, Jorja’s condition continued to deteriorate, and five hours after arriving at the hospital, she passed away.
Dr Nicholas Tarmey treated Jorja and said: “She looked frightened, not just of the situation, she also had a sense something was seriously wrong with her body.
“Her body was struggling to cope and she was deteriorating very quickly and she looked confused and agitated.”
Jorja had an inflammation of the heart called myocarditis, which Dr Tarmey said was “extremely rare” as a result of Covid-19 in children.
“I suppose having a Covid jab might reduce the risk of these complications but I am extrapolating that from the benefits we know.”
Giving a verdict of natural causes, coroner Sarah Whitby said Jorja’s condition had deteriorated “astonishingly” quickly.
After the inquest, Ms Halliday encouraged people to consider getting a Covid-19 vaccination and said: “Covid can do this to fit and healthy young people, however rare it is, it can happen.”
Jorja, a GCSE student at The Portsmouth Academy, is described by Ms. Halliday as a “lovely girl,” a skilled kickboxer, and a future musician.
