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Norway has recorded a total of 29 deaths among people over 75 years old who have taken their first Kovid-19 vaccination shot, raising questions about which groups to target in national immunization programs.
The latest figure adds six to the known fatal number in Norway, and also reduces the age group to 80 affected.
The Medicines Agency of Norway said in a written reply to Bloomberg on Saturday that as of Friday, Pfizer / Bioentech was the only vaccine available in Norway, and that “all deaths are linked to this vaccine.”
“13 deaths have been assessed, and we know of 16 other deaths that are currently being assessed,” the agency said. The report noted that all deaths related to “elderly people with severe basic disorders” have occurred. “Most people have experienced the expected side effects of the vaccine, such as nausea and vomiting, fever, local reactions at the injection site, and their underlying condition is worsening.”
Side effects
Norway’s experience has led the country to suggest that the Kovid-19 vaccine may be too risky for the very old and terminally ill, the most cautious statement yet from a European health authority as countries have previously acquired shots. Approval is assessed for real-world side effects.
The Norwegian Institute of Public Health judges that “for people with the most severe fraud, even relatively mild vaccine side effects can have serious consequences. As those who have very short lifespan, the benefits of the vaccine may be modest or irrelevant. “
Pfizer and BioNTech are working with Norway’s regulator to investigate deaths in Norway, Pfizer said in an e-mail statement. The agency found that “the number of incidents so far is not alarming, and is in line with expectations,” Pfizer said.
Norway’s drug agency said, “We know there have been deaths in other countries as well, but are not yet fully informed.” “There are also differences between countries with priority for vaccination, and this may also affect reporting of side effects including death.”
“The Norwegian Medicine Agency has communicated before vaccination, that when the oldest and sickest vaccination occurs, it is expected that deaths will occur in a time-related context with vaccination. This does not mean that vaccination and death There is a causal link between the deaths in the report. We have also stated that it is possible that the common and known side effects of vaccines have been an important factor for a serious course or fatal outcome, “the agency said.
Norway’s recommendation does not mean that young, healthy people should avoid getting vaccinated. But this is an early indication of what countries want to see as the safety monitoring report on vaccines begins to issue. The new head of the European Medicine Agency, Emer Cook, said tracking the safety of Kovid’s vaccines, especially those relying on novel technologies such as messenger RNA, would be among the biggest challenges once shots are widely rolled out. Will be one of
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