Officials in Norway warned on Thursday that people over 80 and the terminally ill may be at risk for fatal side effects from the COVID-19 vaccine after the European country’s health authority reported a series of deaths among older individuals who received the vaccination.
The Norwegian Medicines Agency announced a press release that the Norwegian Health Registry has received reports since Thursday of 23 people who died shortly after receiving their first dose of the vaccine.
Of those deaths, 13 were autopsied and it was found that the common side effects of the vaccine may have contributed to more serious reactions in frail older people.
The health agency said all fatalities were among patients in nursing homes who were well over 80.
Sigurd Hortemo, chief physician at the Norwegian Medicines Agency, said side effects such as fever and nausea “may have contributed to a fatal outcome in some vulnerable patients.. ”
However, the agency also noted that in the country’s vaccination campaign for the elderly, many of whom are in nursing homes with serious underlying conditions, “deaths are expected to occur just before the time of vaccination. ”
According to the agency, an average of 400 Norwegians die each week in nursing homes and long-term care facilities.
“For people with the most severe vulnerability, even relatively mild side effects from vaccines can have serious consequences,” said the Norwegian Institute of Public Health. Bloomberg. “For those who have a very short remaining lifespan anyway, the benefit of the vaccine may be marginal or irrelevant.”
The warning from Norway about the effects of the vaccine on the elderly is the most serious so far.
Countries around the world have started conducting massive vaccination campaigns to combat COVID-19, which has infected more than 93 million people worldwide and killed nearly 2 million people worldwide, according to data collected by Johns Hopkins University.
Last week, the US. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced that allergic reactions to COVID-19 vaccinations are relatively rare. The CDC said that of the nearly 2 million people vaccinated against COVID-19 over a 10-day period in December, only 21 experienced severe allergic reactions.
The agency added that most of those people had a history of allergies or allergic reactions, and of the 20 people the CDC followed up, all had recovered and been sent home.