After vaccine, 23 dead in Norway, 10 in Germany
Probe finds fever, nausea, diarrhoea caused fatalities
London, Jan. 16: Norway has launched a probe after 23 elderly patients died following their immunization with the Pfizer-BioNTech mRNA vaccine against Covid-19.
"It may be a coincidence, but we aren’t sure,” Steinar Madsen, medical director of the Norwegian Medicines Agency (NOMA), told the British Medical Journal (BMJ). "There is no certain connection between these deaths and the vaccine."
Two Covid-19 vaccines, Comirnaty, from BioNTech/Pfizer and Moderna, are being used in Norway.
The agency has investigated 13 of the deaths so far and concluded that common adverse reactions of mRNA vaccines, such as fever, nausea, and diarrhoea, may have contributed to fatal outcomes in some of the patients.
"There is a possibility that these common adverse reactions, that are not dangerous in fitter, younger patients and are not unusual with vaccines, may aggravate underlying disease in the elderly," Madsen was quoted as saying.
More than 20,000 doses of the vaccine have been administered over the past few weeks in Norway. Specialists from Germany’s Paul Ehrlich Institute, meanwhile, are looking into the deaths of 10 people who passed away soon after having been inoculated against the novel coronavirus disease. Germany is using vaccines developed by Pfizer and BioNTech.
London, Jan. 16: Norway has launched a probe after 23 elderly patients died following their immunization with the PfizerBioNTech mRNA vaccine against Covid-19.
"It may be a coincidence, but we aren't sure," Steinar Madsen, medical director of the Norwegian Medicines Agency (NOMA), told the British Medical Journal (BMJ).
"There is no certain connection between these deaths and the vaccine."
Two Covid-19 vaccines, Comirnaty, from BioNTech/Pfizer and Moderna, are being used in Norway.
The agency has investigated 13 of the deaths so far and concluded that common adverse reactions of mRNA vaccines, such as fever, nausea, and diarrhoea, may have contributed to fatal outcomes in some of the patients.
"There is a possibility that these common adverse reactions, that are not dangerous in fitter, younger patients and are not unusual with vaccines, may aggravate underlying disease in the elderly," Madsen was quoted as saying.
"We are now asking for doctors to continue with the vaccination, but to carry out extra evaluation of very sick people whose underlying condition might be aggravated by it."
The Paul Ehrlich Institute in Germany is also investigating 10 deaths shortly after Covid19 vaccination in that country.
In a statement, Pfizer said: "Pfizer and BioNTech are aware of reported deaths following administration of BNT162b2. We are working with NOMA to gather all the relevant information.
"All reported deaths will be thoroughly evaluated by NOMA to determine if these incidents are related to the vaccine. The Norwegian government will also consider adjusting their vaccination instructions to take the patients' health into more
consideration."
More than 20,000 doses of the vaccine have been administered over the past few weeks in Norway and around 400 deaths normally occur among care home residents every week, reports the BMJ.
Chinese publication Global Times first broke the story, saying that health experts in the country have called on Norway and other countries to suspend the use of Pfizer's mRNA-based Covid-19 vaccine, after at least 23 deaths were reported postvaccination.
"All the deaths have occurred in frail, elderly patients in nursing homes. All are over 80 years old and some of them over 90," Norwegian media NRK reported.
According to the BMJ,
the UK's Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) said that details of all suspected reactions reported in association with approved vaccines to fight the deadly Coronavirus pandemic would be published along with its assessment of the data on a regular basis in the future.