Twenty-three nursing home residents in Norway died within days of receiving their first shot of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. This incident has fueled a warning from health authorities for sick patients over the age of 80 years old.

Norway doctors have started a probe into the deaths of 23 people.

The Norwegian Medicines Agency, in its report, stated that 21 women and eight men suffered side effects after being administered the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine.

Apart from those who died, the office said nine experienced serious side effects without a fatal consequence while seven others had less serious side effects. 

The nine individuals suffered allergic reactions, fever, and discomfort while the less serious side effects reported were severe pain at the injection site.

Sigurd Hortemo, the chief physician at the Norwegian Medicines Agency, said all the nursing home patients have died due to the side effects of the COVID-19 jabs.

The side effects, which include fever and nausea, “may have contributed to a fatal outcome in some frail patients” in the nursing home, according to Hortemo.

In the wake of the incident, Pfizer has decided to reduce its vaccine supply across Europe after citizens sounded the alarm in Norway. 

The Norwegian Institute of Public Health said the reduction in deliveries is due to Pfizer limiting output so that it can upgrade production capacity to 2 billion vaccine doses per year from 1.3 billion presently. 

The Norwegian Institute of Public Health has issued a warning against the inoculation of senior citizens who are above 80 years.  

More than 30,000 people have received the first shot of the Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 vaccines in the country since the end of December.

A representative of Pfizer said the pharmaceutical firm is “aware of reported deaths” in the wake of the inoculation in Norway and is working with the Norwegian Medicines Agency to gather all the relevant information.

“Norwegian authorities have prioritized the immunization of residents in nursing homes, most of whom are very elderly with underlying medical conditions and some which are terminally ill,” Pfizer said in a statement. “[The Norwegian Medicine Agency confirms] the number of incidents so far is not alarming, and in line with expectations.”

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