Has Anyone Died From COVID-19 Vaccine?

Several social media posts claim the coronavirus vaccines are linked to deaths that occurred after shots were administered, leading many to wonder whether inoculation is safe.

In January, Dr. Gregory Michael, a Florida obstetrician and gynecologist, died 16 days after receiving Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine. The 56-year-old doctor developed acute immune thrombocytopenia — an unusual disorder that prevents the blood from clotting properly.

“He was vaccinated with the Pfizer vaccine at MSMC on December 18, 3 days later he saw a strong set of petechiae on his feet and hands which made him seek attention at the emergency room at MSMC,” Heidi Neckelmann, Michael’s wife, wrote in a Facebook post.

“The CBC that was done at his arrival showed his platelet count to be 0 (normal platelet counts range from 150,000 to 450,000 platelets per microliter of blood). He was admitted in the ICU with a diagnosis of acute ITP caused by a reaction to the COVID vaccine,” she continued.

Michael's death spurred fears that the vaccine may be directly related to the doctor’s death. However, scientists warned that his death is an isolated case and said the vaccine is not related.

“These vaccines have had incredible safety profiles in the trials and post-authorization. So far, there has been nothing to confirm these awful events," Dr. John Brownstein, an epidemiologist at Boston Children’s Hospital, said.

“There are going to be spurious relationships, especially as the vaccine is targeting elderly or those with chronic conditions. Just because these events happen in proximity to the vaccine does not mean the vaccine caused these events,” he added.

Dr. Steve Feagins, medical director at Hamilton County Public Health in Cincinnati noted that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has yet to identify a single case where the coronavirus vaccine directly caused someone’s death.

Feagins also dismissed claims that alleged nursing home residents died after receiving coronavirus shots.

“As we vaccinated nursing homes en masse, there is a death rate in nursing homes,” Feagins told WCPO. “Yes, people have received the vaccine and subsequently died of other causes, so we very closely watch the death rate.”