Norwegian health officials say the COVID-19 vaccine can be “very risky” for coronavirus patients over 80 and terminally ill, according to a report by Bloomberg on Friday.
What are the details?
According to the report, at least 23 people died across the country shortly after receiving only the first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, leading experts to wonder if the injection is safe for the elderly and terminally ill.
Citing the country’s drug agency, Bloomberg reported: “Of those deaths, 13 so far [have] it was autopsy, with the results suggesting that common side effects may have contributed to severe reactions in frail elderly people. ”
In a statement, the Norwegian Institute of Public Health explained: “For those with more severe frailty, even the relatively mild side effects of the vaccine can have serious consequences. For those who have a very short remaining life anyway, the benefit of vaccine may be marginal or irrelevant. ”
At the time of this report, the agency estimated that Norway administered at least one dose to approximately 33,000 people.
‘We are not alarmed by this’
The Washington Post reported that the government, despite the deaths, is not concerned.
Steinar Madsen, medical director at the Norwegian Medicines Agency, told Norwegian broadcaster NRK that experts in the country “are not alarmed by this”.
“It is quite clear that these vaccines pose very little risk, with one small exception for the most fragile patients,” added Madsen. “Doctors must now carefully consider who should be vaccinated. Those who are very fragile and at the end of life can be vaccinated after an individual evaluation.”
Representatives of Pfizer and BioNTech have not yet issued public comments on the news at the time of this report.
‘Developed in haste’
After the news, the Global Times reported that Chinese health experts are asking Norway to suspend the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for the elderly.
The agency said the mRNA vaccine was “developed in a hurry and had never been used on a large scale for the prevention of infectious diseases”. As such, notes the Times, “its safety has not been confirmed for large-scale use in humans”.
The vaccine has only received temporary approval in the EU.
Yang Zhanqiu, a virologist at Wuhan University, told the channel on Friday that deaths, if caused by vaccines, show that the effects of vaccines are not as good as expected.
“A Beijing immunologist, who requested anonymity, told the Global Times on Friday that the world should stop using the COVID-19 mRNA vaccine represented by Pfizer, as this new technology has not proven safe in large-scale use or in prevent any infectious diseases “, informed the vehicle. “Older people, especially those over 80, should not be recommended to receive any COVID-19 vaccine, he said.”