23 citizens die soon after taking the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine in Norway, countries halts intake

Norway has reported an alarming trend of 23 elderly people dying shortly after receiving the Covid-19 vaccine. Apart from the 23, several others have fallen ill soon after the vaccination, triggering Norway to launch a probe into the deaths.

Norwegian officials have informed that of the 23 senior citizens who died after vaccination, 13 who were autopsied likely died of the “common side effects” of the shots of the first vaccine that had gained approval for emergency use. “Pfizer vaccine might have caused severe reactions in “frail, elderly people”, a Bloomberg report quoted the Norwegian Medicines Agency as saying.

The Norwegian Institute of Public Health has warned: “For those with the most severe frailty, even relatively mild vaccine side effects can have serious consequences. For those who have a very short remaining life span anyway, the benefit of the vaccine may be marginal or irrelevant.”

Both Pfizer and BioNTech are coordinating with the Norwegian drugs regulator to ascertain the cause behind the deaths of the 23 elderly persons and the former has said that the incident is not alarming and “in line with expectations.”

Even in France, a frail patient had died within two hours of getting vaccinated.

However, the Agency’s medical director Steinar Madsen has stated that the agency is not alarmed by this. He said, “It is quite clear that these vaccines have very little risk, with a small exception for the frailest patients.”

Madsen also added, “Doctors must now carefully consider who should be vaccinated. Those who are very frail and at the very end of life can be vaccinated after an individual assessment.”

China has halted the use of Pfizer vaccines, while several other countries have increased ‘cautiousness’ after the Norway’s news.