Did the Miami Beach doctor die as a result of the COVID-19 vaccine?

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. – Questions remain about the death of a 56-year-old Miami Beach doctor who died Sunday, just over two weeks after receiving the COVID-19 vaccine.

Gregory Michael, MD, whose website claims he was in private obstetrics and gynecology practices at Mount Sinai Medical Center, received the vaccine at the hospital where he was affiliated on Dec. 18.

It is unclear, however, whether the death of the 56-year-old doctor is related to the shooting, but there is an ongoing investigation.

A Facebook post by Michael’s wife described him as “very healthy.” His website said he was an avid tournament and big game fisherman and also a certified diver for rescue.

His wife said that three days after receiving the shot, Michael noticed severe ruptures of blood vessels in his feet and hands, prompting him to go to the emergency room.

There he was diagnosed with immune thrombocytopenia, which prevents blood from clotting. After two weeks of treatment, he writes in the Facebook post, Michael had a hemorrhagic stroke caused by a lack of platelets, which took his life in a matter of minutes, he said.

She said her husband was defending the vaccine.

A spokesman for Mount Sinai, citing patient privacy restrictions, said in a statement:

“To the extent that we are aware of an incident related to a patient, we immediately contact the appropriate agencies and cooperate fully.”

The Florida Department of Health confirmed that they referred the case to the Centers for Disease Control for investigation. A CDC spokesman told Local 10 News that “they will assess the situation as more information becomes available and provide timely updates on what is known and the actions needed.”

Vaccine maker Pfizer-BioNTech responded in a statement, saying they were aware of the death of a healthcare professional 16 days after receiving a first dose. “We are actively investigating this case, but I do not think there is any direct connection to the vaccine at this time. So far there has been no related safety signal identified in trials or vaccines.”

The Miami-Dade County coroner’s office said that as of now, the cause of Michael’s death has not been determined and said the results could take several weeks.

The CDC, which has been tasked with reviewing vaccine safety, said its thoughts were on the family. They added that: “to date more than 5 million people have received vaccines against COVID-19 in the United States.”

Dr. Michael’s family has requested privacy at this time.