Norway has issued a precautionary measure for elderly and terminally ill people receiving the coronavirus vaccine after 23 people died in countries shortly after receiving a vaccine.
“For those with the most severe fragility, even the relatively mild side effects of the vaccine can have serious consequences,” the Norwegian Institute of Public Health warned. “For those who have a very short lifespan, however, the benefit of the vaccine may be marginal or irrelevant.”
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Of the 23 deaths, 13 were autopsied, which revealed that common side effects could have contributed to reactions in vulnerable and elderly people, the Norwegian Medicines Agency reported.
The warning, Norwegian officials said, does not mean that older people or the younger generation should avoid vaccination. It is only to express concern and make a warning sound for sick and vulnerable people to be careful while being vaccinated against the deadly virus.
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Initial investigations revealed that almost three-quarters of those affected were over 80, the regulator said in its report.
Vaccine manufacturers FPfizer-BioNtech are working with the Norwegian regulator to investigate the deaths, saying “the number of incidents so far is not alarming and is in line with expectations”.
So far, Norway has administered the first dose of coronavirus vaccine to almost 33,000 people, with priority given to vulnerable, elderly and medical workers. So far, most people have been given the Pfizer vaccine, and a few others with a similar dose of Modern.