The death of a young man has been linked to a rare but known side-effect of the Pfizer-BioNtech vaccine for Covid-19, New Zealand authorities revealed. The 26 year-old man is suspected to have suffered from myocarditis or inflammation of the heart muscle which has been a reported side-effect of the mRNA vaccine and is thought to affect men more commonly than any other demographic.
"With the current available information, the board has considered that the myocarditis was probably due to vaccination in this individual," a COVID-19 Vaccine Independent Safety Monitoring Board said in a statement.
New Zealand's first vaccine-related death was reported in August. A woman, who also suffered from myocarditis, passed away shortly after taking both doses of the vaccine. However the vaccine monitoring board had speculated at the time that other medical issues could have influenced the severity of the myocarditis.
Heart inflammation caused by mRNA vaccines provided by Pfizer and Moderna have caused some concern amongst scientists and the general population even as booster doses are now making their way into vaccine regimens to combat the new Omicron variant. Pfizer insists that it is keeping track of such rare side-effects but that it encouraged people to keep vaccinating as the benefits outweighed the risks.
Pericarditis, or inflammation of the heart lining is also a known side-effect. The issues mostly affect young men according to studies but so far the USA has not reported any deaths. Cases generally tend to be mild and hospitalization and death is rare.
In the case of the latest death in New Zealand, the man had not sought treatment nor had he reported any issues to health authorities, the vaccine board noted. It also said another two people, including a 13-year-old, had died with possible myocarditis after taking their vaccinations. More details were needed before linking the child's death to the vaccine, while the death of a man in his 60s was unlikely related to the vaccine, it said.