Swiss medical authorities have dismissed rumors about the BioNTech-Pfizer coronavirus vaccine causing the death of an elderly patient.
The death of the 91-year-old in the central canton of Lucerne has been widely reported in Switzerland. The Swiss therapeutic agency, Swissmedic, confirmed the incident on Monday, but said the patient had already suffered from multiple illnesses.
“Explanations by cantonal health authorities and Swissmedic determined that a link between the death and the COVID-19 vaccine was highly unlikely due to the medical history and course of the disease,” reads a statement.
“Neither the medical history nor the acute course of diseases indicates a direct causal link between the COVID-19 vaccine and death,” he said.
The regulator said the death certificate would cite the previous illnesses as a ‘natural cause of death’.
-
COVID vaccinations begin across Europe
Millions of initial doses produced
From Sweden to Cyprus, Lithuania to Italy, the pressure to get people their first shots is now underway, 11 months after the first cases were reported in Europe. EU leaders called the launch of the ride ‘V-Day’, a moment of unity in a pandemic that has killed more than 1.7 million people worldwide.
-
COVID vaccinations begin across Europe
Elderly population is a priority
Edith Kwoizalla, 101 years old, was one of the first Germans to be vaccinated. She took the first of two doses in a care home in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt on Saturday, a day before the official launch. German Health Minister Jens Spahn said he expected 1.3 million doses to be delivered by the end of the year, with the double number by the end of January.
-
COVID vaccinations begin across Europe
Mobile teams deployed across Germany
The country relies heavily on mobile teams to distribute the BioNTech-Pfizer vaccine, such as here in a care home in Grossräschen, in the eastern state of Brandenburg in Germany. Most of the more than 400 planned vaccination centers will only be up and running for the next few days.
-
COVID vaccinations begin across Europe
Vaccination will also work on variant: BioNTech
The vaccine, developed in part by a German firm, has been snatched up by governments around the world. BioNTech has “scientific confidence” that the coronavirus vaccine will also work on the new variant detected in the UK, Ugur Sahin, CEO of the company, told DW. The proteins on the mutated form of the virus were 99% the same as the prevalent virus, he said.
-
COVID vaccinations begin across Europe
Hungary starts a day early
Hungary vaccinated health workers on Saturday, a day before the EU’s planned start date. Hungary has recorded more than 316,000 cases and more than 9,000 deaths since the start of the pandemic.
-
COVID vaccinations begin across Europe
Polish paramedics first vaccinated
A Warsaw paramedic was one of the first people to receive the vaccine in Poland on Sunday. The first batch of 10,000 doses was transported a day earlier from Pfizer’s facility in Belgium to a warehouse in central Poland. Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki called the launch “a major step in fighting the epidemic.”
-
COVID vaccinations begin across Europe
Politicians aim to alleviate concern
EU leaders and scientists have gone to great lengths to insist that the vaccine is safe. In the Czech Republic, Prime Minister Andrej Babis (seen here) was leading the line for his vaccination on Sunday. In Vienna, three women and two men over the age of 80 received the vaccine in the presence of Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz.
-
COVID vaccinations begin across Europe
‘I did not feel anything’: the first Swedish patient
Sweden, which has received praise and criticism for the weakened handling of the pandemic, is expecting a first group of 10,000 shots along with Norway. Denmark expects that there will be enough shots to initially vaccinate 40,000 people in nursing homes, followed by healthcare professionals and people at high risk for disease. Iceland will receive 10,000 doses in early January.
-
COVID vaccinations begin across Europe
The first doses arrive in Cyprus
An 84-year-old man became the first patient to receive the coronavirus vaccine in Cyprus. While Europe has some of the best healthcare systems in the world, the sheer scale of the effort means that some countries are calling on retired doctors to help. Other countries have relaxed rules for who may give the injections.
-
COVID vaccinations begin across Europe
Three-phase program in Austria
A healthcare worker at Hospital Favorites in Vienna was one of the first to receive the vaccine. Austria is implementing the vaccine through a three-phase program, starting with health workers and people over 65 years of age. Austria has recorded more than 350,000 cases and more than 5,800 deaths since the start of the pandemic.
-
COVID vaccinations begin across Europe
France: one million vaccinations by February
Mauricette, a 78-year-old French woman, was the first person to receive a dose of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine at Rene-Muret Hospital in Sevran, on the outskirts of Paris. France aims to vaccinate the first million people by the end of February. The country is one of the hardest hit in Europe, with more than 2.6 million cases and nearly 63,000 deaths.
-
COVID vaccinations begin across Europe
Thumb in Italy
Italy began distributing the first batch of 10,000 shots on Sunday at Niguarda Hospital in Milan (seen here). In Rome, a 29-year-old nurse was the first to receive the jab at the National Institute of Infectious Diseases Lazzaro Spallanzani in Rome. Health workers were first in line, and those over 80 followed.
-
COVID vaccinations begin across Europe
Portugal aims for 10% of the population
The first phase of vaccine deployment in Portugal aims to vaccinate 10% of the population, with frontline workers and those over 50 with pre-existing conditions. Here, a medical worker receives the vaccine at the Santa Maria Hospital in Lisbon.
-
COVID vaccinations begin across Europe
Ambitious rollout in Spain
Spain will receive 350,000 doses per week from Pfizer-BioNTech, with a total of almost 4.6 million delivered over the next three months. The government has said it wants to vaccinate between 15 million and 20 million people in the first half of 2021. Here, a 72-year-old gets his first injection at the Vallecas nursing home in Madrid.
The manufacturer responds
Pfizer and BioNTech said in a statement that they were aware of the incident, and that their “thoughts are with the grieving family.”
“Serious side effects, including non – vaccine – related deaths, will unfortunately occur at a similar rate as in the general population of the elderly and individuals at risk currently being prioritized before vaccination.
The patient was apparently a resident of a care home in the municipality of Ebikon
The Swiss media initially reported the matter through a coronavirus-skeptical doctor. According to initial reports, the nursing home resident received the vaccine on Dec. 24 and died five days later. They have apparently reacted badly to a flu vaccination in the past.
Millions of people have already received the BioNTech-Pfizer vaccine without serious side effects. Nearly 1.8 million people have died from COVID-19 itself, but almost more than 7,500 in Switzerland.
In Israel, a 75-year-old man, who had previously had heart attacks, allegedly died of a heart attack two hours after receiving the BioNTech-Pfizer vaccine. According to the Israeli health authorities, there does not appear to be a link between the man’s death and his vaccination.
Lucerne fired the first of the 107,000 shots Switzerland has received so far, with the elderly being the first recipients.
aw / dj (Reuters, AFP, dpa)
