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Norway investigating death of two people who received Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine

WION Web Team
Oslo, NorwayUpdated: Jan 06, 2021, 08:52 AM IST
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Photograph:(Reuters)

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It comes after a paediatric surgery assistant in Porto was found dead two days after receiving jabs of Pfizer's vaccine

Norway is investigating the death of two nursing home residents who died after receiving doses of the Pfizer and BioNTech coronavirus vaccine.

It comes after a paediatric surgery assistant in Porto was found dead two days after receiving jabs of Pfizer's vaccine.

Medical Director of Norwegian Medicines Agency Steiner Madsen said in a statement ''We have to assess whether the vaccine is the cause of death, or if it is a coincidence that it happened soon after vaccination.''

The agency along with Norway's National Institute of Public Health are looking into cause the deaths.

Madsen also added that as people of advanced age are receiving the coronavirus vaccine first it is entirely possible that the deaths could be coincidental.

Pfizer Inc's CEO Albert Bourla had said in an interview that the company is "not certain" if those who receive its vaccine will be able to transmit the coronavirus to others.

After Pfizer's claim that the COVID-19 vaccine is more than 90 per cent effective based on initial trial results, a few volunteers said that they suffered side effects comparable to a flu jab, with one comparing them to "a severe hangover".

 Norway will impose fresh restrictions to prevent a resurgence in the spread of the coronavirus, Prime Minister Erna Solberg said on Sunday, including a nationwide ban on serving alcohol in restaurants and bars and not inviting guests home.

The Nordic country has seen a rise in cases over the past month and now estimates its R number - which represents the average number of people that one infected person will pass the virus on to - stands at 1.3.

All travel for private purposes, be it foreign or domestic, is now discouraged. Norway had already some of the toughest travel restrictions in Europe, requiring non-residents to have proof they are COVID-19 negative before entering the country.

On Thursday, Oslo imposed mandatory COVID-19 tests for all people entering Norway from abroad, either upon arrival or within 24 hours, to stop the spread of the coronavirus variant detected first in Britain.

Small border crossings have been shut as they do not have capacity to have COVID-19 test centres and more military personnel will man the border with Finland in the Arctic.

Norway's 14-day cumulative number of COVID-19 cases per 100,000 inhabitants was at 113.6 in the week Dec. 21-27, the fourth lowest in Europe behind Iceland, Greece and Finland, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control has said.