A Florida doctor died more than two weeks after receiving a COVID-19 vaccine – although he remains under investigation as to whether the shooting played any role.
Dr. Gregory Michael, 56, a gynecologist at Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami Beach, died Monday after suffering a hemorrhagic stroke, the Palm Beach Post reported.
The medical episode is believed to have been caused by a lack of platelets, the report said.
Michael received the Pfizer vaccine on December 18, then experienced a “strong reaction,” according to his wife, Heidi Neckelmann.
In a Facebook post on Tuesday, Neckelmann said Michael was in the hospital three days later because of skin spots that indicated he may be suffering from internal bleeding.
She said doctors determined she had a low platelet count, which they tried to lift “to no avail”.
“Experts from all over the country were involved in his care. No matter what they did, the platelet count refused to go up, “she wrote.
Neckelmann said he was “conscious and energetic throughout the process” until the condition caused him to suffer a stroke, which killed him in “a few minutes.”
The Florida Department of Health said Miami medical examiners are leading the investigation – and will provide their findings to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Palm Beach Post reported.
Pfizer, which developed the vaccine, said it would launch its own probe into his death.
“We are actively investigating this case, but we do not believe at this time that there is any direct link to the vaccine,” the company said in a statement.