A Florida doctor died several weeks after receiving the COVID-19 vaccine, although it remains unclear whether his death on Monday was related to the shot he received on December 18.
Dr. Gregory Michael, 56, an obstetrician-gynecologist at Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami Beach, died after suffering a hemorrhagic stroke apparently due to a lack of platelets.
Miami coroners are investigating his death, the Florida Department of Health said in a statement.
“The CDC and the FDA are responsible for reviewing the safety data for the COVID-19 vaccine and presenting that information for federal recommendations on vaccine administration,” said communications director Jason Mahon by email. “The state will continue to provide all available information to the CDC as they conduct this investigation.”
In a Facebook post, Michael’s wife, Heidi Neckelmann, said he sought emergency care three days after the injection because he had spots on the skin that indicated internal bleeding.
The condition she said caused the stroke, called thrombocytopenia, results from an below normal number of platelets, which helps to clot the blood.
In extremely rare cases, the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine has been linked to thrombocytopenia in young children, according to a 2003 study. The condition can also be caused by cancer, anemia, excessive alcohol consumption, viruses, some genetic diseases , toxic chemicals and medications such as diuretics and the rarely used chloramphenicol antibiotic.
Pfizer, which together with its partner BioNTech made the vaccine the man received, said in a statement that it is aware of the death.
“We are actively investigating this case, but we do not believe at the moment that there is any direct connection to the vaccine,” the statement said.
There is no indication – whether in large clinical trials or among people who have received the vaccine since the government authorized its use last month – that it may be related to thrombocytopenia, the company said.
COVID-19 vaccine manufacturers are required by the government to monitor health problems that occur around vaccination and to investigate whether they are likely to be related to an injection.
“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 that of the general population,” according to the statement, which ended by saying: “Our immediate thoughts are with the family. bereaved. “
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a statement on Wednesday that he and other federal agencies regularly review vaccine safety data, as well as an independent committee of vaccine safety experts.
“It has been a difficult year, as each of us struggles with a worldwide pandemic,” says the statement.
Five million people have already been vaccinated against COVID-19. “The use of COVID-19 vaccines is the next step in our efforts to protect Americans and reduce the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic,” the statement said.
In his Facebook post, Neckelmann described Michael as the “love of her life” and blamed the vaccine for his death.
“He was a very healthy 56-year-old man, loved by everyone in the community, gave birth to hundreds of healthy babies and worked tirelessly during the pandemic,” she said in the post, which received more than 1,400 comments by 8 pm Wednesday -market .
She said a team of doctors across the country had tried for two weeks to increase the platelet count “to no avail”. He was conscious until he suffered a hemorrhagic stroke “that took his life in a matter of minutes,” she wrote.
Michael was an advocate for the vaccine, his wife said, before raising questions about his safety.
“I believe that people should be aware that side effects can happen, that it is not good for everyone and, in this case, it destroyed a beautiful life, a perfect family and affected so many people in the community,” she wrote. “Don’t let your death be in vain, save more lives by making this information news.”
According to his professional website, Michael was a native of Miami who practiced on Mount Sinai for 12 years.
After college, he lived in Japan for several years, traveling a lot and learning the language. He was also fluent in Spanish.
Michael went to medical school at St. George’s University in Grenada and completed his residency at OB-GYN at Saint Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston, New Jersey.
He and his wife have a daughter, and he was an avid tournament and big game fisherman, as well as a certified rescue diver.
Elizabeth Weise contributed to this report.
Contact Karen Weintraub at [email protected]
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This article was originally published in USA TODAY: Death of the Florida doctor after the COVID-19 vaccine under investigation