Health officials are investigating the case of a South Florida doctor who died of a rare condition two weeks after receiving his first dose of Pfizer coronavirus vaccine.
Dr. Michael, who worked as an OBGYN at Mt. Sinai Medical Center has been dead for more than a decade. According to his wife Heidi Neckelmann, he had been vaccinated on December 18.
Although there is currently no medical or scientific evidence to suggest that Dr. Michael’s death was triggered by the vaccine, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is conducting a routine investigation into the incident due to the short time between the two events.
“The CDC, FDA and other federal agencies regularly review COVID-19 vaccine safety monitoring data and present this information to a working group of vaccine safety experts,” the organization said in a statement. “The CDC will assess the situation as more information becomes available and provide timely updates on what is known and any action needed.”
Neckelmann said Dr. Michael began to show strange symptoms a few days after receiving the dose, including small spots on his hands and feet.
He was eventually admitted to the ICU with a diagnosis of idiopathic acute thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP), a rare condition in which the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks fragments of cells found in the blood known as platelets. In adults, it can be chronic.
“Two days before a last-minute surgery, he suffered a hemorrhagic stroke caused by a lack of platelets that took his life in a few minutes,” Neckelmann wrote in a Facebook post.
Pfizer said the company was aware of the CDC’s investigation into the case, saying in a statement that officials were “actively investigating, but we do not believe there is a direct link to the vaccine at this time.”
“No associated safety signals have been identified in our clinical trials, post-marketing experience to date or with the mRNA vaccine platform. To date, millions of people have been vaccinated and we closely monitor all adverse events in people who receive our vaccine. “
“It is important to note that serious adverse events, including unrelated vaccine deaths, will unfortunately occur at a rate similar to that of the general population,” the company added.
According to Susan Wagner from NBC News, ITP is a condition that can be genetic, but can also be triggered by certain drugs. It was included in the list of medical conditions that scientists were following during Pfizer clinical trials and no cases occurred in the vaccine group.
The Miami-Dade medical examiner said Dr. Michael’s case is under investigation. “We have not yet stated the cause and manner of death,” a spokesman said.
Neckelmenn remains suspicious that the vaccine is linked to her husband’s death. “He was a pro-vaccine lawyer, that’s why he got it himself,” she said.
“I think people should be aware that side effects can occur, that it is not good for everyone, and in this case it has destroyed a beautiful life, a perfect family and affected so many people in the community,” he added. she.
A study by the Institute for Vaccine Safety found that vaccines prevent more cases of ITP than they cause, although the coronavirus vaccine was not developed at the time of publication of the research.
Mount Sinai Medical Center said in a statement that due to patient privacy laws and HIPAA guidelines, it could not confirm or deny the details of the case.
“To the extent that we are aware of an incident involving any patient, the appropriate agencies are contacted immediately and have our full cooperation,” the statement said.
The Florida Department of Health also said it cooperated with the CDC and provided them with all the data needed for the investigation.