Did South African trauma surgeon Dr. Vicky Jennings die after "suffering a sudden heart attack" related to COVID-19 vaccination, as implied by social media posts? No, that's not true: Jennings' colleague and head of department told Lead Stories that he can "unequivocally confirm that her death was in no way related to vaccination." A medico-legal autopsy required by law in South Africa confirmed that she died of a pulmonary embolus after a long flight. "There were no associated other risk factors," said her colleague.
The implied claim appeared in a post to Facebook on November 22, 2024, (archived here) with a collage of photos of Jennings. A caption with the post read:
A pro-vaccine doctor, who used social media to shame people who were not Jabbed with COVID mRNA shots, has died suddenly at just 43 years old leaving 2 children.
Dr. Vicky Jennings reportedly dropped dead after suffering a sudden heart attack.
According to reports, she was presumed to be in good health when she died and was not suffering from any illnesses.
Jennings, an internationally recognized trauma surgeon, was said to be a fitness enthusiast and enjoyed several sports in her free time, including running and swimming.
This is how the post looked on Facebook at the time of writing:
(Source: Facebook screenshot taken Wed Dec 12 09:47:16 2024 UTC)
The photo collage in the post was first shared (archived here) to X on March 10, 2024, and in coverage by The People's Voice (archived here). Both draw a connection between Jennings' promotion of COVID-19 vaccines, presumably her use of them, and her death. Neither post provided further information to confirm Jennings' purported cause of death.
At the time of her death, Jennings was the deputy head of trauma at the Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital Trauma Unit and clinical lead trauma surgeon at the Milpark Hospital Academic Trauma Centre in Johannesburg, South Africa, according to a May 16, 2024, obituary (archived here) published by The Association of Surgeons of South Africa (ASSA).
KD Boffard, professor and head of unit at the Milpark Hospital Academic Trauma Centre, told Lead Stories in an email received on December 12, 2024, that he can "unequivocally confirm that her death was in no way related to vaccination." He wrote:
Dr Vicky Jennings worked as a Senior Surgeon in my Department, and I worked closely with her for many years.
I can confirm that she passed away from a pulmonary embolus, about a week after she returned from delivering an advanced training programme in Rome. Because of the sudden nature of her death (she died peacefully in her sleep), a full medico-legal autopsy is required by law in South Africa. This was performed by a senior Forensic Pathologist, and the findings fully confirmed a very large pulmonary embolus as the unequivocal cause of death, probably secondary to a long flight. There were no associated other risk factors.
Lead Stories also searched Jennings' death notices and obituaries published online by groups she was affiliated with, such from by Netcare Limited (archived here), a South African private health care company that owns Netcare Millpark. None listed a cause of death. Boffard said that because Jennings left two young children, "her cause of death was therefore not listed in the public obituary."
Boffard added that rumors linking her death to COVID-19 vaccination are "blatant cruelty" and have caused "huge dismay and anger."
According to the National Library of Medicine, a pulmonary embolus is a blockage of an artery in the lungs, most commonly caused by a blood clot that develops in a vein outside the lungs. A pulmonary embolus can be caused by long-term rest or staying in one position for a long time, such as sitting on a long flight, notes the American Society of Hematology. A pulmonary embolus is not the same thing as a heart attack.
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It originally started as YourNewsWire in 2014 and rebranded as NewsPunch in 2017. In 2023, it rebranded itself again to The People's Voice. The People's Voice/NewsPunch/YourNewsWire has published numerous fake news articles, so anything on the site should be taken carefully. Its Facebook page, "The People's Voice", lost its verification checkmark, according to a 2018 report from Media Matters For America.
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Lead Stories has debunked other claims related to vaccines, which can be read here.
