Pfizer Inc. and federal health officials are investigating the death of a healthcare professional 16 days after the person receives the company’s first dose of Covid-19 vaccine.
So far, the evidence does not suggest a connection, he told Pfizer in a statement on Tuesday. The Florida doctor developed a rare disorder called severe thrombocytopenia, which decreases the body’s ability to clot blood and stop internal bleeding.
Pfizer cited its clinical trials and data collected since the vaccine was authorized in the United States when reporting its initial conclusion that the evidence does not suggest a causal association to the injection it developed with the vaccine from Germany BioNTech SE. In the meantime, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said they were aware of the death and “will assess the situation as soon as more information is available,” according to spokesman Tom Skinner.
“To date, millions of people have been vaccinated and we are closely monitoring all adverse events in individuals receiving our vaccine,” said Pfizer in its statement. “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.”
Pfizer shares fell 2% to $ 37.03 at 15:14 on the New York floor on a day when the company he also said his adjusted earnings for 2021 would be between $ 3 and $ 3.10 per share, less than analysts had expected.
The New York Times first reported the death of Gregory Michael, a 56-year-old obstetrician and gynecologist from Miami Beach. The Times cited a Facebook post written on January 5 by his wife, Heidi Neckelmann, who said that Michael had died of cerebral hemorrhage.
The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was authorized for emergency use in the United States on December 14, with health professionals and those in long-term care facilities the first in line to get the vaccine. To date, 9.27 million injections of this vaccine have been administered and a second authorized vaccine developed by Moderna Inc., according to a Bloomberg state-to-state count and CDC data.
The CDC, along with the Food and Drug Administration and other federal agencies, regularly reviews the safety monitoring data for the Covid-19 vaccine and shares its findings with a group of vaccine safety experts, who provide independent guidance to federal authorities , according to CDC Skinner.
“Our thoughts are with the family during this heartbreaking period,” said Skinner.
– With the help of Michelle Fay Cortez