New Zealand reports first death linked to Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine
New Zealand on Monday reported what authorities said was the country's first recorded death linked to the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine.
The information was released by the health ministry following a review by an independent COVID-19 vaccine safety monitoring board of the death of a woman after receiving the vaccine.
The board considered that the woman’s death was due to myocarditis, which is known to be a rare side effect of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, the statement said. Myocarditis is an inflammation of the heart muscle that can limit the organ's ability to pump blood and can cause changes in heartbeat rhythms.
"This is the first case in New Zealand where a death in the days following vaccination has been linked to the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine," the health ministry said.
The Pfizer media team in New Zealand did not immediately reply to an emailed request for comment.
So far the Pfizer/BioNTech, Janssen and AstraZeneca vaccines have been provisionally approved by New Zealand authorities. However, the Pfizer vaccine is the only vaccine that has been approved for rollout to the public.
New Zealand is battling an outbreak of the Delta variant of COVID-19 after nearly six months of being virus free.
A nationwide lockdown was enforced earlier this month to beat the spread of the Delta variant.
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