Health officials are investigating the case of a South Florida doctor who died of a rare disease two weeks after receiving the first dose of Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine.
Dr. Michael, who worked as an obstetrician at Mt. Sinai Medical Center for more than a decade, died on January 3. According to his wife Heidi Neckelmann, he had been vaccinated on December 18.
Although there is currently no medical or scientific evidence to suggest that Dr. Michael’s death was triggered by the vaccine, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are conducting a routine investigation of the incident due to the short time between the two events. .
“The CDC, the FDA and other federal agencies regularly review the safety monitoring data for the COVID-19 vaccine and present this information to a working group of vaccine safety experts,” the organization said in a statement. “The CDC will assess the situation as more information becomes available and will provide timely updates on what is known and any necessary actions.”
Neckelmann said that Dr. Michael started showing strange symptoms several days after receiving the dose, including small spots on his hands and feet.
He was eventually admitted to the ICU with a diagnosis of acute idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP), a rare condition in which the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks fragments of cells found in the blood, known as platelets. In adults, it can be chronic.
“Two days before surgery of last resort, he had a hemorrhagic stroke caused by a lack of platelets that took his life in a matter of minutes,” wrote Neckelmann in a Facebook post.
Pfizer said the company was aware of the CDC investigation into the case, issuing a statement saying in part that the authorities are “actively investigating, but we do not currently believe there is any direct connection to the vaccine”.
“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 that of the general population,” added the company.
According to Susan Wagner of the NBC News medical unit, ITP is a condition that can be genetic, but can also be triggered by certain medications. It was included in the list of medical conditions that scientists were observing during Pfizer’s clinical trials, and no cases have emerged in the vaccine group.
The Miami-Dade Medical Examiner said that Dr. Michael’s case is pending investigation. “We still don’t have the cause and form of death declared,” said a spokesman.
Neckelmenn still suspects that the vaccine has something to do with her husband’s death. “He was an advocate for the vaccine, which is why he got it himself,” she said.
“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,” he added.
A study by the Institute for Vaccine Safety found that vaccines prevent many more cases of ITP than they cause, although the coronavirus vaccine was not developed at the time the research was published.
Mount Sinai Medical Center said in a statement that, due to patient privacy laws and HIPAA guidelines, it was unable to confirm or deny the details of the case.
“As far as we are aware of an incident involving any patient, the appropriate agencies are contacted immediately and have our full cooperation,” says the statement.
The Florida Department of Health also said it was cooperating with the CDC and providing them with all the data needed for the investigation.