BRIT model Stephanie Dubois was “living the dream” in Cyprus before dying after getting a Covid jab, her family said.
Ms Dubois, 39, suffered a “serious thrombotic episode” and a “very rare” blood clot after being given the Oxford-AstraZeneca jab in Paphos, Cyprus on May 6.
The model’s heartbroken dad Tony said the family had been “living the dream” in Cyprus, where the ex-RAF officer has lived with Stephanie’s mum, Brigitte, since retiring to a village outside Paphos a decade ago.
Stephanie had divided her time between the island and the UK, and had spent much of the pandemic with her beloved parents in Cyprus.
Pambos Charalambos, the owner of one of the couple’s favourite restaurants, described the family as “lovely, outgoing” people.
A senior operational logistics executive in the air force, Tony has always been an active member of Paphos’ vibrant ex-pat community as has Brigitte.
“They’re lovely, outgoing people and Stephanie is beautiful,” he told Trending In The News Online.
“I had no idea this had happened to her. She was very sweet, very polite. After leaving the military Tony had worked for years in Saudi Arabia.
“The whole family loved Cyprus. They’re very good friends but I haven’t seen them for a long time because we’ve had three lockdowns in Cyprus and I’ve had to keep the taverna closed.”
Just 12 days after her jab, Ms Dubois shared what would be her final Facebook post – a picture of her bruised arm.
She wrote: “Done being ill now… Couple more tests today! PS – I still don’t like needles – feeling tired.”
Charalambos Charilaou, Cypriot health service spokesman, said that her death would be investigated by the European Medicines Agency (EMA).
But it has not been confirmed yet if her death is linked to the Covid jab.
Dubois posted on Facebook after she received the first dose: “So I had the vaccination today! I hate needles, today was no exception . . . And now I feel horrendous . . . pizza and bed for me.”
On May 14 she was taken to hospital with breathing problems. She wrote: “Woke up feeling fine and then within an hour I had full body shakes, all my joints seized and I was struggling to breathe and was cold to the bone with a persistent headache and dizziness.
“Mum and dad came to look after me and took me for a Covid test, which thankfully was negative . . . but it still doesn’t explain what the problem is. Maybe I’m having a prolonged reaction to my Covid jab last week.”
By May 19 she had slipped into a coma and “was not expected to come out of it”, according to Andrew Powers, a friend.
Local media reported that she had suffered a brain haemorrhage and died on Saturday afternoon.
Health officials at Cyprus’s main state hospital in the capital, Nicosia, said that she had no underlying health conditions.
Head of the pharmaceutical services at the ministry of health, Elena Panayiotopoulou, said it may never be clear what killed Stephanie.
“We may never be sure that her death is linked to the AstraZeneca vaccine,” she told Trending In The News Online.
“What she suffered is very, very rare, although we do know that thrombosis cytopenia syndrome can also be suffered by people who have not had the vaccine.
“A lot of further investigation needs to be conducted to see if there is any correlation between the two incidents.
“We have sent all our findings to the European Medicines Agency who will make that assessment… and they may never make a conclusion based on one incident, which means we may never know if there is any link.”
In March, Cyprus suspended AstraZeneca shots pending a review by the EMA.
Germany, France and other EU member states followed suit but re-introduced the jab on March 18.
Only two other people in Cyprus developed blood clots after the AstraZeneca vaccination. Both had underlying health issues and neither died.
In April, the EMA confirmed that the benefits of the AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine continued to outweigh the risk of side effects.
