- An autopsy report for the coroner was issued.
- In the opinion of the forensic pathologist who conducted the autopsy, the cause of death was Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS), with no antecedent causes.
- The autopsy report included the following comment: “Acute respiratory distress syndrome can be idiopathic, or caused by acute interstitial pneumonia, infection, drugs, autoimmune diseases, inhalation injuries, sepsis, radiation therapy and burns, among other causes. Acute interstitial pneumonia is a fulminant lung disease in previously healthy individuals and usually has an unknown cause. lnterstitial pneumonia can be a rare complication of the influenza vaccine and 9 cases have been described since 1998 with the age range (more men than women) between 38 and 75 years. The interval between vaccination and onset of symptoms was 1-7 days and the interval between vaccination and diagnosis was 2-41 days. (lnterstitial Pneumonia Associated with the influenza Vaccine: A Report of Two Cases: Makoto Hibina and Tetsuri Konda, lntern Med 56: 197-201, 2017 DOI: 10.2169/internalmedicine.56.7239).”