New Zealand announced on Monday that it had recorded its first death related to the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine after a woman suffered from myocarditis, which is known to be a rare side effect of inflammation in the heart muscle.
The Independent Vaccine Safety Monitoring Council COVID-19 (CV-ISMB) of New Zealand issued a statement on Monday advising health professionals and consumers to be aware of myocarditis and pericarditis, a another rare side effect that may occur after the administration of the vaccine.
“The CV-ISMB extends its sympathies to the woman’s family and friends during this difficult time and thanks the family for their help in this research,” the New Zealand Ministry of Health said in a statement.
“The case has been referred to the coroner and the cause of death has not yet been determined. The CV-ISMB considered that myocarditis was probably due to vaccination,” the agency added. “The CV-ISMB noted that there were other medical issues at the same time that could have influenced the outcome after vaccination.”
When asked by The Hill, Pfizer said in a statement, “Pfizer is aware of rare cases of myocarditis and pericarditis, mainly in male adolescents and young adults, after COVID-19 mRNA vaccination.”
“Patients have usually improved rapidly with conservative treatment,” the company added.
The Ministry of Health notes that while this is the first case in New Zealand that the death of a person is related to the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, other deaths have also been reported after vaccination, although none of the people were considered to be related to vaccines.
“We want to make sure that the results of this research are widely available for others to learn from. The results will be published to increase scientific knowledge about vaccine-induced myocarditis,” said John Tait, president of CV-ISMB . “The Pfizer vaccine is highly effective in protecting against serious illness and death from COVID-19, and we remain confident in using it in New Zealand.”
According to COVID-19 tracker from Johns Hopkins University, only about 22 per cent of New Zealand’s total population is fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Throughout much of the pandemic, the country has been hailed for its handling of the virus, adopting hard-line stances on orders and restrictions on staying at home.
New Zealand has so far confirmed just over 3,500 cases of COVID-19 and only 26 related deaths.
Updated at 9:01 p.m.