The Miami-Dade County coroner is investigating the death of a doctor weeks after he received the COVID-19 vaccine, according to Darren Caprara, director of operations at the coroner’s office.
Caprara said his office is working with the Florida Department of Health and the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to investigate the death of Dr. Gregory Michael. His death is definitely not linked to the vaccine, but that is among the possibilities being explored, added Caprara.
According to Michael’s website, he has been an obstetrician / gynecologist “in a private practice at Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami Beach for the past 15 years.” He was 56, according to public records.
Caprara said that Michael received a vaccine around December 19 and died “at the end of January 3 on the 4th”. An autopsy was carried out on Tuesday, Caprara said, with the cause of death pending completion of studies by the coroner and partner agencies.
He did not reveal which vaccine Michael received; however, only Pfizer had been offered outside clinical trials in the week that Michael was vaccinated.
“Pfizer and BioNTech are aware of the death of a healthcare professional sixteen days after receiving the first dose” of the vaccine, Pfizer said in a statement. “It is a very unusual clinical case of severe thrombocytopenia, a condition that decreases the body’s ability to clot blood and stop internal bleeding,” he added.
“We are actively investigating this case, but we do not believe at the moment that there is any direct connection to the vaccine,” the company said in the statement.
“There were no related safety signs identified in our clinical trials, the post-marketing experience so far or with the mRNA vaccine platform. To date, millions of people have been vaccinated and we are closely monitoring all adverse events in individuals receiving our vaccine. It is important to note that serious adverse events, including deaths unrelated to the vaccine, are unfortunately likely to occur at a rate similar to what would happen in the general population. “
CDC officials told reporters on Wednesday that there was no worrying reaction to coronavirus vaccines other than 29 cases of severe allergic reactions – or just 11.1 cases of anaphylaxis per 1 million doses administered.
“The known and potential benefits of today’s COVID-19 vaccines outweigh the known and potential risks by obtaining COVID-19,” said Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases. “This does not mean, however, that we cannot see potential serious health events in the future.”
According to the CDC, more than 5.3 million people received their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine in the United States.
“Our immediate thoughts are with the bereaved family,” added Pfizer.
CNN asked the CDC and the US Food and Drug Administration for comments.
Mount Sinai Medical Center said in a statement that, due to medical privacy laws, “it cannot confirm or deny information about any patient. As far as we are aware of an incident involving any patient, the appropriate agencies are contacted immediately and have our full cooperation. “