Norway: 23 Deaths Associated With Covid-19 Vaccination

The Norwegian Medicines Agency Statens legemiddelverk, are reporting that there are 23 deaths associated with covid-19 vaccination.

According to the Press Release, the common adverse reactions may have contributed to a severe course in elderly people who are frail. The press release stated that out of the 23 deaths associated with covid-19 vaccination,13 have been assessed.

According to the agency, “all deaths” are linked to the Pfizer vaccine, which was the only one available in the country until Friday.

The Statens legemiddelverk, is the national, regulatory authority for new and existing medicines and the supply chain. The Agency is responsible for supervising the production, trials and marketing of medicines. It approves medicines and monitors their use, and ensures cost-efficient, effective and well-documented use of medicines. The inspectorate also supervises the supply-chain and regulates prices and trade conditions for pharmacies.

All reports of suspected adverse reactions with fatal outcome following vaccination are carefully assessed.

– The reports suggest that common adverse reactions to mRNA vaccines, such as fever and nausea, may have contributed to a fatal outcome in some frail patients, says Sigurd Hortemo, chief physician at the Norwegian Medicines Agency.

The large studies on Comirnaty (BioNTec/Pfizer) did not include patients with unstable or acute illness – and included few participants over 85 years of age. In Norway we are now vaccinating the elderly and people in nursing homes with serious underlying diseases, therefore it is expected that deaths close to the time vaccination may occur. In Norway, an average of 400 people die each week in nursing homes and long-term care facilities.

All deaths that occur within the first few days of vaccination are carefully assessed. We cannot rule out that adverse reactions to the vaccine occurring within the first days following vaccination (such as fever and nausea) may contribute to more serious course and fatal outcome in patients with severe underlying disease.

The Norwegian Medicines Agency and the National Institute of Public Health jointly assess all reports of suspected adverse reactions. As a result, the Norwegian Institute of Public Health has updated the covid-19 vaccination guide with more detailed advice on vaccinating the elderly who are frail.