MIAMI (CBSMiami / CNN) – A Miami-Dade forensic doctor says the death of a South Florida doctor has not been definitively related to the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine he took weeks earlier.
Dr. Gregory Michael, who practiced at Mount Sinai Medical Center, died two weeks after getting the vaccine.
His widow, Heidi Neckelmann, posted on Facebook: “He was a very healthy 56-year-old man, loved by everyone in the community, gave birth to hundreds of healthy babies and worked tirelessly during the pandemic. I think people should be aware that side effects can occur. “
Neckelmann also said her husband had a hemorrhagic stroke due to a lack of platelets. He reportedly had an unusual case of severe thrombocytopenia, a condition that decreases the body’s ability to clot the body and stop internal bleeding.
Neckelmann said he sought emergency care three days after receiving the vaccine after detecting spots on the skin that indicated internal bleeding.
Dr. Aileen Marty, an infectious disease specialist and professor of medicine at FIU, told CBS4’s Peter D’Oench: “Any death like this is very tragic. I was a colleague and I feel the loss of Dr. Michael very deeply. ”.
“There is nothing in clinical trials to indicate that this is a likely outcome of the vaccine itself. That said, we are always learning new things. This is a new situation and we need to look at it very carefully,” he added. “You have to look at the many millions of people who have been vaccinated around the world with these vaccines and compare it to what is happening in the world with death and morbidity due to COVID-19. I know the coroner is top notch in Miami-Dade and will be able to provide us with details that explain exactly what happened. “
The Miami-Dade County coroner works with the Florida Department of Health and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to investigate Michael’s death.
While not definitively related to the vaccine, this is one of the possibilities being explored, according to Darren Caprara, chief operating officer of the medical office.
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Caprara said Michael received a vaccine around Dec. 19 and died “in late Jan. 3 to 4 p.m.”
An autopsy was performed on Tuesday, Caprara said, with the cause of death awaiting the completion of studies by the coroner and associated agencies.
Pfizer also said it was investigating.
“Pfizer and BioNTech are aware of the death of a healthcare professional sixteen days after receiving a first dose” of the vaccine, Pfizer said in a statement. “It is a very unusual clinical case of severe thrombocytopenia, a condition that decreases the body’s ability to clot the blood and stop internal bleeding,” he added.
“We are actively investigating this case, but at this time we do not believe there is any direct connection to the vaccine,” the company said in the statement.
“There have been no related safety signs 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 are closely monitoring all adverse events of people receiving our vaccine “.
CDC officials said Wednesday that they had not seen any serious worrying reactions to coronavirus vaccines beyond 29 cases of severe allergic reactions.
According to the CDC, more than 5.3 million people have received the first dose of Covid-19 vaccine in the US.
In its statement Wednesday night, the agency said it regularly reviews safety data along with other federal agencies such as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, as well as vaccine safety experts who review safety data. independently, they make recommendations and provide guidance.
“CDC will assess the situation as more information becomes available and provide timely updates on what is known and the actions needed,” the statement said.
Both Pfizer and the CDC said their thoughts were on the family.
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