TREPUZZI, LECCE – A 13-year-old girl has died less than 24 hours after receiving her second Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. Arianna, a high school student, got her shot on September 30th. She fell ill shortly after the injection and was rushed to hospital where she died hours later. Lecce’s Public Prosecutor Office is expected to open an investigation into her sudden death.

13-year-old Arianna, who was a first-year student at ‘Banzi’ scientific high school, got her second shot on the morning of Thursday, September 30th. She returned home but fell ill that night around 04:00 am. She was then rushed to the emergency room of Vito Fazzi Hospital where she, despite the best efforts of doctors to save her, died.

The tragic news began to circulate in Trepuzzi on Friday morning, throwing the entire community into despair. Mayor Guiseppi Taurino said:

“Everyone feels pain when a community loses a young life. There are no words to describe the pain of the parents who have to bury their child. The country must gather around the victim’s family and make their solidarity and affection felt, as well as towards the girl’s schoolmates and friends, among whom there is great pain because of this sudden death.”

The mayor announced that the city is in mourning:

An autopsy will be performed by Dr. Giovanni Serio, head of Vito Fazzi Hospital and coroner Alberto Tortorella to clarify whether there is a causal relationship between the administration of the second Pfizer vaccine and her cardiac arrest just 24 hours later.

The funeral of Arianna was initially scheduled for this morning but has been postponed to allow the autopsy to take place.

The tragedy comes only two weeks after the death of 14-year-old Majda El Razak who entered into a comatose state just two days after she received her second Pfizer vaccine. Her case is being investigated for manslaughter.