EXPERT REACTION: Deaths in elderly Norwegians after Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine

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Norway has reported a number of deaths and side effects in elderly people after being given the Pfizer vaccine. According to the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), of 40,000 people vaccinated with the Pfizer vaccine in Norway, there have been approximately 30 deaths and some side effects. Here Australian experts comment on the deaths in Norway.

Organisation/s: Australian Science Media Centre

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Expert Reaction

These comments have been collated by the Science Media Centre to provide a variety of expert perspectives on this issue. Feel free to use these quotes in your stories. Views expressed are the personal opinions of the experts named. They do not represent the views of the SMC or any other organisation unless specifically stated.

Dr Abrar Chughtai is a Senior Lecturer and the Director of the Master of Infectious Diseases Intelligence Program at the School of Population Health, University of New South Wales Australia

We need more data before jumping to conclusions. A total of about 30 deaths occurred in nursing homes – most of them over the age of 80. Baseline data and other cases should be checked as around 400 people die every week in Norwegian nursing homes.

Millions of doses of the same vaccine have been administered in the US, UK and some other countries, and no death is reported due to the vaccine.

These deaths may be unrelated to the vaccine, but we definitely need to be vigilant and check data from other countries, which I am sure the Therapeutic Goods Administration will do.

We know that development of a new vaccine is generally a long process and requires multiple trials to ensure safety and efficacy. So far there is only one study on safety and efficacy of the Pfizer vaccine and, of total participants, 42 per cent were older than 55 years of age (median age was 52 years) and around one-fifth had co-existing medical illnesses. As this vaccine may be tested on very few people over 80 years of age, more data is needed to ensure safety and efficacy in this age group.  

I think, compared to many other countries, Australia has handled this pandemic quite well and the Australian public generally trust the government.

However, this type of news will definitely reduce public confidence in vaccination. Last week we were discussing the low efficacy of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, and this week a new has issue come up.

“These are the challenges we face during a severe pandemic. So the government needs to ensure transparency and engage researchers and other community groups to maintain trust and avoid mixed messages.

Last updated: 19 Jan 2021 9:40am
Declared conflicts of interest:
None declared.
Prof Bruce Thompson is the Head of the Melbourne School of Health Sciences at The University of Melbourne

The recent news about the Pfizer vaccine on the surface sounds concerning and indeed needs closely monitoring.

However, we need to be very careful about making comment without all the necessary information.

The good thing is that the reporting of clinical findings is open and transparent, and that standard systems for the reporting of adverse events is happening.

Whilst the deaths amongst elderly people who have been recently vaccinated is of concern, we now need to understand if the death is associated with the vaccine, or other medical issues.

Last updated: 18 Jan 2021 1:20pm
Declared conflicts of interest:
None declared.
Dr Diego Silva is from Sydney Health Ethics in the University of Sydney School of Public Health

The deaths of the Norwegians over the age of 80 should sadden us, but should not deter us from the Pfizer vaccine as things currently stand.

Norway have acted in good faith within the global health community by instituting a pharmaco-surveillance system and reported findings that may be troubling.

The key right now is to investigate the causes of those deaths and continue monitoring for all side effects with the knowledge that it is still the case that serious side effects are exceedingly rare, especially when we consider the global rollout of the Pfizer vaccine.

We require medical due diligence while continuing to reassure and fostering public trust in the vaccine. It is not the time to panic nor withdraw the vaccine from circulation.

 

Last updated: 18 Jan 2021 1:19pm
Declared conflicts of interest:
None declared.
Hassan Vally is an Associate Professor in Epidemiology at Deakin University

"As I have been repeating throughout the past 12 months, it’s really important to be measured and calm when looking at any new information that emerges as we navigate the pandemic, even when new information relates to deaths in individuals who have received a vaccine.
 
If we step back and try and put this in perspective, despite how unfortunate this is, these deaths have occurred in a number of older, frail individuals, some of whom had terminal illnesses. All of these individuals were over the age of 80 years of age. It is unclear at this stage what exactly led to these deaths and this needs to be understood better before drawing conclusions.
 
What can be said is that all new information we obtain as the vaccine is delivered throughout the world needs to be examined closely and be used to inform how we implement our vaccination strategy. This information, along with any new information that comes to hand, will be examined closely by regulators in Australia to fully understand if there are any implications for us. It may be that this leads to a refining of the advice that the Pfizer vaccine not be used for those who are really frail, or that this decision is made on a case-by-case basis by medical professionals.
 
What we can take some comfort from is that millions of people have safely received the Pfizer vaccine throughout the world."

Last updated: 18 Jan 2021 1:17pm
Declared conflicts of interest:
None declared.

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