Question Number: 122
PDR Number: SQ22-000181
Date Submitted: 24/02/2022
Department or Body: Department of Health

There is no legal requirement within any Australian jurisdiction that explicitly requires an autopsy to be performed if death occurs within 28 days of vaccination. Decisions about coronial processes and procedures, such as performing autopsies and selecting the type of autopsy, are the responsibility of the coroner in each jurisdiction and depend on the circumstances of the individual case.

In most cases where a death occurs from a known, expected or natural cause, a health professional will complete a death certificate identifying the cause of death.

In some cases, the death is reported to the coroner. Although the definition of a reportable death varies between coronial laws in Australia, examples include unexpected deaths, deaths occurring within a close proximity to a medical procedure or admission, where provision of heath care (or lack of) is thought to have contributed to the death, or where a cause of death cannot be identified by a medical practitioner. Regardless of the reason for referral to the coroner, each coroner undertakes an assessment to determine the most appropriate approach to determining the cause of death in each individual case.

The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) uses information about the reported cause of death (as determined by the treating health professional, hospital or coroner) to look for potential conditions or adverse effects which may be linked to vaccination.

The review of reports of death is just one aspect of the TGA’s close monitoring of the safety of COVID-19 vaccines. The TGA uses a range of different information sources to monitor the safety of vaccines, including reviewing and analysing adverse events report data, working with international regulators, and reviewing medical literature, media and other potential sources of new safety information.