First death linked to Pfizer vaccine reported in New Zealand

Wellington: The country’s first fatality connected to the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccination was reported in New Zealand on Monday, according to officials.
The information was published by the health ministry following a study of a woman’s death after receiving the COVID-19 vaccination by an independent COVID-19 vaccine safety monitoring board. The woman’s age was not included in the ministry’s announcement.

The board considered that the woman’s death was due to myocarditis, which is known to be a rare side effect of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, the statement said. 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.

“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 health ministry said.

The Pfizer media team in New Zealand did not immediately reply to an emailed request for comment.

The case has been referred to the coroner and the cause of death has not yet been determined, the health ministry said.

The independent board, however, did consider that the myocarditis was probably because of the vaccination.

The board also noted that there were other medical issues occurring at the same time which may have influenced the outcome following vaccination.

“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,” it added.

So far the Pfizer/BioNTech, Janssen and AstraZeneca vaccines have been provisionally approved by New Zealand authorities. However, the Pfizer vaccine is the only vaccine that has been approved for rollout to the public.

New Zealand is battling an outbreak of the Delta variant of COVID-19 after nearly six months of being virus free.