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LIVINGSTON, NJ – Authorities are investigating the death of a New Jersey-trained doctor who died weeks after receiving the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. According to Pfizer, the company does not believe there is a direct link between the vaccine and his death.
Gregory Michael, 56, who completed his residency at Saint Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston, received a first dose of the vaccine on December 18. He died Monday in Florida, where he practiced and was born, after suffering a hemorrhagic stroke that apparently resulted from a lack of blood platelets, USA Today reported.
In a social media post, Michael’s wife said the “very healthy” 56-year-old found “strong petechiae” on his feet and hands three days after receiving his first dose of vaccine.
“He was a vaccine advocate … that’s why he got it himself,” she said, alleging the vaccine was linked to his death.
The Miami-Dade County medical examiner said Michael’s death was not definitively linked to the vaccine, although it was among the possibilities explored. The investigation is being conducted in cooperation with the Florida Department of Health and the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Pfizer provided CNN with a statement on Michael’s death, writing:
“Pfizer and BioNTech are aware of the death of a healthcare professional 16 days after receiving a first dose of the vaccine. This is a very unusual clinical case of severe thrombocytopenia, a condition that decreases the body’s capacity. to clot the blood and to stop the internal bleeding … We are actively investigating this case, but at this time we do not believe that there is a direct link with the vaccine … No related safety signal has been identified in our clinical trials, post-market experience to date or with mRNA to date, millions of people have been vaccinated and we are closely monitoring all adverse events in people receiving our vaccine. to note that serious adverse events, including deaths unrelated to the vaccine, are unfortunately likely to occur at a rate similar to that in the general population. “
According to his website, Michael received his MD from St. George’s University. He completed his residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at Saint Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston, and was a Galloway Fellow at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York. He practiced at Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami Beach.
Here’s what the CDC says about the two available COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna:
The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Emergency Use Clearances (EUA) for two COVID-19 vaccines that have been shown to be safe and effective, as determined by data from manufacturers and results from large clinical trials. These data demonstrate that the known and potential benefits of this vaccine outweigh the known and potential harms of infection with the 2019 coronavirus (COVID 19). “
View CDC’s product information for the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine here.
As of Wednesday, more than 17.2 million total doses of COVID-19 vaccines were distributed in the United States. More than 5.3 million people have received their first dose, according to the CDC.
According to the CDC, from December 14 to 23, after the administration of 1.89 million first doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, 4,393 (0.2%) “adverse events” were jointly submitted to VAERS, a national system passive surveillance. operated by CDC and FDA.
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