A coroner has delivered a narrative verdict in the inquest into the death of 23-year-old Roy Butler from Waterford, who passed away five days after receiving a Covid-19 vaccine. Cork City Coroner Philip Comyn revealed that Butler died from a spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage but could not definitively link the cause of death to the vaccine.
During the inquest, Coroner Comyn expressed his condolences to Butler’s family and explained his reasoning behind the narrative verdict. He stated that, on the balance of probabilities, he could not conclude that the vaccine was the cause of death. The medical evidence presented was inconclusive, with Assistant State Pathologist Dr. Margot Bolster stating, “I can neither rule in any link with the vaccine, nor can I rule it out.”
In light of the findings, the coroner made several recommendations aimed at improving public awareness regarding the reporting of vaccine-related adverse reactions. He urged Irish health authorities to consider launching an information campaign that would instruct the public on how and where to report such reactions. He emphasized the importance of promptly noting and reporting these adverse events to the relevant authorities.
Following the verdict, Butler’s family expressed gratitude for the support they received during the three-day inquest. They described their son as a fit and healthy young man with a passion for football and regular gym workouts. After receiving the Janssen Covid-19 vaccine on August 12, 2021, Butler’s health rapidly declined, manifesting in severe headaches, sweating, and joint pain. Four days post-vaccination, he experienced convulsions at home and was rushed to University Hospital Waterford, where medical staff reported they had never seen a case like his. He was later transferred to Cork University Hospital and placed on life support, ultimately passing away on August 17.
Butler’s family has maintained that the Covid-19 vaccine was the cause of his death and sought a verdict of misadventure. However, representatives from Johnson and Johnson, the developer of the Janssen vaccine, insisted there was no medical evidence linking their vaccine to Butler’s death and contended that a narrative verdict was the most suitable outcome.
The World Health Organization reported that over 50 million doses of the Janssen vaccine had been administered globally by April 2022, while nearly 250,000 doses had been distributed in Ireland. Dr. Bolster described Butler’s death as baffling, highlighting the difficulty in establishing a causal link between the vaccine and the intracranial hemorrhage he suffered.
