Health officials are investigating the case of a South Florida doctor who died of a rare disease two weeks after receiving the first dose of the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine.
Dr. Michael, who had worked as an OBGYN at Mt. The Sinai Medical Center died on January 3 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 was caused by the vaccine, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is conducting a routine investigation of the incident due to the short time between the two events.
“The CDC, the FDA and other federal agencies review COVID-19 vaccine safety control data regularly and present this information to a working group of vaccine safety experts,” the organization said in a statement. communiqué. “CDC will assess the situation as more information becomes available and provide timely updates on what is known and the actions needed.”
Neckelmann said Dr. Michael had begun experiencing strange symptoms several days after receiving the dose, including small spots on his hands and feet.
Finally, he was 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 blood cells known as platelets. In adults, it can be chronic.
“Two days before a last resort surgery, he had a hemorrhagic stroke caused by a lack of platelets that took his life in a matter of minutes,” Neckelmann wrote in a post on Facebook.
Pfizer said the company was aware of the CDC’s investigation into the case, issuing a statement saying in part that officials “are actively investigating, but at this time we do not believe there is any direct connection to the vaccine.”
“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 “.
“It is important to note that serious adverse events, including non-vaccine-related deaths, unfortunately occur at a rate similar to that of the general population,” the company added.
According to Susan Wagner, of NBC News’ medical unit, 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 monitoring during Pfizer’s clinical trials and no cases appeared in the vaccine group.
The Miami-Dade forensic doctor said Dr. Michael’s case is pending investigation. “We have not yet stated the cause and form of the death,” a spokesman said.
Neckelmenn still suspects the vaccine has to do with her husband’s death. “He was an advocate for the vaccine, so he got it himself,” he said.
“I think people need to be aware that side effects can occur, which 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 said. add.
A study by the Institute for Vaccine Safety found that vaccines prevent many more cases of ITP than they do not cause, although the coronavirus vaccine had not been 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 know of an incident related to a patient, we immediately contact the relevant agencies and cooperate fully,” the statement said.
The Florida Department of Health also said it was cooperating with the CDC and providing them with all the data needed for the investigation.