Inquest into death of Achill boy to take place this week

THE inquest into the death of a 14-year-old Achill boy who died suddenly three weeks after he was administered with the Covid vaccine will be heard tomorrow morning and is expected to last at least three days.

Joseph McGinty from The Valley, Achill died on September 13, 2021 three weeks after he received the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine at a vaccination centre. The teenager suffered a 'severe medical deterioration' in the weeks after getting the vaccination on August 20, 2021. He was admitted to Mayo University Hospital on September 1, 2021, where he stayed overnight before he was discharged the following day. He attended hospital again on September 8 for a review and died on September 13 after becoming ill at home.

The parents of Joseph McGinty, John Paul and Patricia McGinty are to give evidence at the opening day of the inquest which is due to start on Tuesday morning in Swinford Courthouse.

Patrick O'Connor, the Coroner for the district of Mayo has pencilled in three days to allow evidence to be heard from 18 witnesses.

Videolink evidence

Dr Gillian Ellsbury, Pfizer's UK vaccines medical director is scheduled to give evidence to the inquest on Thursday morning via videolink. A preliminary hearing of the inquest in June heard that Dr Ellsbury, who is Pfizer’s chief witness in the case, was advised not to travel to Swinford due to alleged threats on social media regarding vaccines.

Mr O'Connor had requested the attendance of the Chief Medical Officer Professor Breda Smyth, the chairperson of the National Immunisation Advisory Committee, Dr Karina Butler and Anne Tobin, the pharmacovigilance manager with the Health Products Regulatory Authority.

However, these witnesses will not now give evidence in person at the inquest and statements on behalf of the Office of the Chief Medical Officer, the National Immunisation Advisory Committee, and the Health Products Regulatory Authority will be read into the record.

Evidence will also be heard from Mr McGinty's GP, Dr Bernadette O'Leary; Professor Michael O'Neill, Consultant Paediatrician in MUH; Dr Fadel Bennani, Consultant Pathologist at MUH; Frank Harburn, the General Manager of the Regional Vaccination Programme in the Saolta region as well as witnesses from the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland.