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PARIS: Although dozens of people reportedly died shortly after being vaccinated against COVID-19, scientists say the evidence available so far does not incriminate new coronavirus vaccines.
Health agencies emphasize, however, that the vast majority of post-vaccination deaths were older, already vulnerable, and often sick people.
Here is a review of the situation:
OLD MAN, VULNERABLE
Norway raised the alarm last week when it reported the deaths of 33 of some 20,000 nursing home residents who had received a first injection of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.
At least 13 of the fatalities were not only very old, but also considered frail and seriously ill, the Norwegian Institute of Public Health said.
While he noted that an analysis on the causes of deaths had not yet been conducted, he suggested that in the elderly and vulnerable, the normal side effects of vaccination, such as fever or nausea, may have contributed.
Outside of Norway, the news raised widespread concern and fueled skepticism against vaccines, leading authorities to emphasize that no link had been established between the vaccine and post-injection deaths.
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In France, out of 800,000 people vaccinated, as of Friday (January 22) there were nine deaths of residents with chronic diseases of nursing homes and nursing homes.
The national drug agency ANSM said that based on the available evidence, “nothing leads to the conclusion that the reported deaths are related to vaccination.”
Other examples include 13 deaths of older people recorded in Sweden and seven in Iceland, all with no established link.
In Portugal, a care worker died two days after being vaccinated, but the Justice Ministry said an autopsy found no direct link.
France’s Interior Ministry listed 71 “death observations” in Europe on January 18 from people who received the vaccine, but did not provide further details.
CONTINUOUS MONITORING
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) said that despite the deaths, “to date, no specific concerns have been identified with Comirnaty,” the brand name for the Pfizer-BioNTech injection.
The EMA noted that authorities are investigating the deaths to determine if the vaccine was responsible.
National and European agencies monitor any problems with vaccines reported by healthcare professionals, pharmaceutical companies and patients themselves.
READ: UK Vaccination Campaign Expands as COVID-19 Victims Nears 100,000
At the moment, the number and types of deaths among those vaccinated are not considered abnormal, without an identified cause and effect relationship.
In many countries, such as France, Norway, Spain and the United Kingdom, frail people and the elderly are the first to receive vaccines.
“It is not unexpected that some of these people may naturally fall ill due to their age or underlying conditions shortly after being vaccinated, with the vaccine playing no role in that,” said UK drug regulator MHRA.
TRANSPARENCY, SECURITY
Deaths are a very sensitive subject and approaches to informing the public vary.
France and some Nordic countries reported post-vaccination deaths and detailed possible side effects of the strokes, even if no link has been established.
But Britain’s MHRA said it would make a statement at a later date, possibly to avoid spreading the alarm.
“We will publish the details of all reported suspicious reactions in association with approved COVID-19 vaccines, along with our evaluation of the data on a regular basis in the future,” he said.
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In any case, European health officials say the deaths do not call into question the safety of the vaccines.
Norway has not changed its vaccination implementation, even if it has advised doctors to consider the general health of the most fragile before applying the prick, the policy of many other countries.
Globally, more than 60 million doses of vaccines have been received in at least 64 countries or territories, according to an AFP tally on Saturday.
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