New Delhi (NVI): At least 23 people have died in Norway within days of receiving first dose of the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine with 13 of those deaths apparently related to the side effects of the shots, according to the Norwegian Medicines Agency.
All 13 were nursing home patients and at least 80 years old.
“The reports suggest that common adverse reactions to mRNA vaccines, such as fever and nausea, may have contributed to a fatal outcome in some frail patients,” Sigurd Hortemo, chief physician at the Norwegian Medicines Agency said.
“For those with the most severe frailty, even relatively mild vaccine side effects can have serious consequences,” the Norwegian Institute of Public Health warned. “For those who have a very short remaining life span anyway, the benefit of the vaccine may be marginal or irrelevant,” it added.
As a result, the Norwegian Institute of Public Health has updated the covid-19 vaccination guide with more detailed advice on vaccinating the elderly who are frail.
Even in France, a frail patient had died within two hours of getting vaccinated. However, authorities ruled out that it was due to the side effect of the COVID-19 vaccine.
Pfizer and BioNTech are working with the Norwegian authorities to investigate the deaths in Norway.
However, according to Pfizer, the regulator discovered that the number of incidents so far is not alarming and in line with expectations.
More than 30,000 people in Norway have received the first shot of the Pfizer or Moderna coronavirus vaccine since December 27.
The total number of coronavirus cases reported in Norway is 58,202, while the death toll stands at 517, according to the Johns Hopkins University.
-CHK
