[ad_1]
Twenty-three people died in Norway within days of receiving their first dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, with 13 of those deaths, all nursing home patients, apparently related to the side effects of the injections.
Sigurd Hortemo, chief physician at the Norwegian Medicines Agency, said common reactions to the vaccine, such as fever and nausea, “may have contributed to a fatal outcome in some frail patients.”
In a statement Friday, Hortemo said the 13 were nursing home patients and were at least 80 years old. While officials don’t express serious concern, they are adjusting their guidance on who should get the vaccine.
The news comes just over a week after officials reported the deaths of two residents of a nursing home after being hit by Pfizer.
More than 30,000 people in Norway have received the first injection of the Pfizer or Moderna coronavirus vaccine in the Scandinavian country since late last month, according to official figures.
Steinar Madsen, the agency’s chief medical officer, told Norwegian broadcaster NRK that “they are not alarmed by this,” adding that “it is quite clear that these vaccines have very little risk, with a small exception for the most fragile patients. “. Madsen said:
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.
The agency reported Thursday that a total of 29 people had suffered side effects, including the 13 people who died.
The world is still grappling with the coronavirus pandemic and several countries are in the process of developing a vaccine.
This occurs when some people urge the public, especially in Africa, not to take the vaccines until they are shown to be safe for humans “in western states,” saying it could be a tool to depopulate Africa.
More: New York Post
