Pfizer and CDC Investigating Death of Florida Doctor Who Took COVID-19 Vaccine

Pfizer says it is investigating the death of a Florida doctor who received a dose of the company’s COVID-19 vaccine.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is also reportedly investigating the death of Gregory Michael, a 56-year-old obstetrician who took the photo 16 days earlier.

Pfizer said there was so far no evidence that Michael’s death was caused by the vaccine he developed with German biotech company BioNTech.

Manhattan-based Pfizer called it a “very unusual clinical case” of a condition called severe thrombocytopenia, which limits the body’s ability to clot blood and stop internal bleeding.

“To date, millions of people have been vaccinated and we are closely monitoring all adverse events in people receiving our vaccine,” Pfizer spokesman Jerica Pitts told The Post in a statement Wednesday. “It is important to note that serious adverse events, including deaths that are not related to the vaccine, are unfortunately likely to occur at a rate similar to that of the general population.”

The CDC is also aware of the death and “will assess the situation as more information becomes available,” agency spokesman Tom Skinner told Bloomberg News.

Michael’s wife, Heidi Neckelmann, said in a Facebook post that her husband died of a stroke after spending two weeks in a Miami Beach hospital. She attributed her death to a “strong reaction to the COVID vaccine,” which she said she had on December 18.

“I believe people should be aware that side effects can occur, that it is not good for everyone and in this case it destroyed a good life, a perfect family and affected so many people in the community, ”Neckelmann said in the post, adding that her late husband was a“ vaccine advocate ”.

Pfizer, however, does not believe there is a link between the vaccine and death based on its clinical trials of the shot and its “post-market experience so far,” Pitts said.

Pfizer’s vaccine is one of two vaccines that U.S. officials have cleared for emergency use as the country battles to control the deadly COVID-19 pandemic. The other plan was developed by Massachusetts biotech company Moderna.

The CDC did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday morning.