Pfizer COVID Vaccine Linked To New Zealander’s Death Two Weeks After First Dose

The death of a 26-year-old man from New Zealand has been linked to the Pfizer COVID vaccine, according to local health officials.

The incident was one of three potential death cases involving myocarditis – inflammation of the heart muscle – following Pfizer vaccinations reported in the country to the COVID-19 Vaccine Independent Safety Monitoring Board.

The other two cases involved a 13-year-old child and a man in his 60s. The board said that more details were needed to link the child’s death to the vaccine and the man’s death was likely unrelated to the vaccination.

The 26-year-old man suffered from myocarditis after taking his first dose of the vaccine. He reported no symptoms prior to the vaccine, and his symptoms of heart inflammation developed in the days immediately following his first shot, the board said on Monday. He did not seek medical advice or treatment for his symptoms.

The board said “myocarditis was probably due to vaccination in this individual.”

However, it added, “ the circumstances of these cases do not impact or change the known information on myocarditis, and the benefits of vaccination with the Pfizer vaccine for COVID-19 continue to greatly outweigh the risk of such rare side effects.”

In a statement to Reuters, a Pfizer spokesperson said that the company was aware of the report of the death in New Zealand, saying it monitored all reports of possible adverse events, and continued to believe the benefit-risk profile for its vaccine was positive.

This is the second death in New Zealand that has been linked to the Pfizer vaccine and myocarditis after a woman was reported to have died after her second dose of the shot, according to Reuters.

Myocarditis reduces the heart’s ability to pump and can cause rapid or irregular heart rhythms, according to the Mayo Clinic. It can occur from a virus or sometimes from a reaction from a drug, with symptoms that include chest pain, fatigue, shortness of breath and rapid or irregular heartbeats, the health organizations said.