COVID-19 vaccines

New Zealand reports 1st death linked to Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine

Reuters

This is AI generated summarization, which may have errors. For context, always refer to the full article.

New Zealand reports 1st death linked to Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine

JAB. A healthcare worker prepares a Pfizer coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccination in Los Angeles, California, January 7, 2021.

Lucy Nicholson/Reuters

(1st UPDATE) Pfizer says it 'takes adverse events that are potentially associated with our vaccine very seriously' and monitors and collects relevant information to share with regulators

New Zealand reported its first recorded death linked to US drugmaker Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine, the health ministry said on Monday, August 30, after a woman suffered a rare side effect leading to inflammation of her heart muscle.

The news of the death comes as the country battles an outbreak of the Delta variant after nearly six months of being virus free. It followed a review by an independent panel monitoring the safety of the vaccines.

“This is the first case in New Zealand where a death in the days following vaccination has been linked to the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine,” the ministry said in a statement, without giving the woman’s age.

The vaccine monitoring panel attributed the death to myocarditis, a rare, but known, side effect of the Pfizer vaccine, the ministry added.

Myocarditis is an inflammation of the heart muscle that can limit the organ’s ability to pump blood and can cause changes in heartbeat rhythms.

Must Read

US FDA grants full approval to Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine

US FDA grants full approval to Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine

In response, Pfizer said it  recognized there could be rare reports of myocarditis after vaccinations, but such side effects were extremely rare.

“Pfizer takes adverse events that are potentially associated with our vaccine very seriously,” it told Reuters.

“We closely monitor all such events and collect relevant information to share with worldwide regulatory authorities.”  

The health ministry said other medical issues at the same time could have influenced the outcome after vaccination.

But the vaccine’s benefit outstripped risks from side effects, it added.

Must Read

Philippines allows Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for 12- to 15-year-olds

Philippines allows Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for 12- to 15-year-olds

“The benefits of vaccination with the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine continue to greatly outweigh the risk of both COVID-19 infection and vaccine side effects, including myocarditis.”

New Zealand has provisionally approved use of the Pfizer/BioNTech, Janssen and AstraZeneca vaccines, but only the Pfizer produced vaccine has been approved for rollout to the public.

Monday’s 53 new cases took New Zealand’s tally of infections in the current outbreak to 562, amid a nationwide lockdown enforced this month to limit spread of the Delta variant. – Rappler.com

Add a comment

Sort by

There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.

Summarize this article with AI

How does this make you feel?

Loading
Download the Rappler App!