Directly from their website of The Norwegian Medicines Agency
Covid-19 vaccination associated with adverse drug reactions in elderly people who are frail.
As of 14 January, 23 reports of suspected deaths associated with covid-19 vaccines have been submitted to the Norwegian ADR health registry .
Oppdatert: 18.01.2021
Publisert: 15.01.2021
In Norway we are now vaccinating the elderly and people in nursing homes with serious underlying diseases, therefore it is expected that deaths close to the time vaccination may occur.
All reports of suspected adverse reactions with fatal outcome following vaccination are carefully assessed.
"The reports suggest that common adverse reactions to mRNA vaccines, such as fever and nausea, may have contributed to a fatal outcome in some frail patients", says Sigurd Hortemo, chief physician at the Norwegian Medicines Agency.
The large studies on Comirnaty (BioNTec/Pfizer) did not include patients with unstable or acute illness - and included few participants over 85 years of age. In Norway we are now vaccinating the elderly and people in nursing homes with serious underlying diseases, therefore it is expected that deaths close to the time vaccination may occur. In Norway, an average of 400 people die each week in nursing homes and long-term care facilities.
All deaths that occur within the first few days of vaccination are carefully assessed. We cannot rule out that adverse reactions to the vaccine occurring within the first days following vaccination (such as fever and nausea) may contribute to more serious course and fatal outcome in patients with severe underlying disease.
The Norwegian Medicines Agency and the National Institute of Public Health jointly assess all reports of suspected adverse reactions. Consequently, the Norwegian Institute of Public health has emphasised its advice regarding frail or terminally ill patients. An evaluation should be carried for each individual patient as to whether the benefits of vaccination outweigh the risks of eventual side effects. The reported cases have had no impact on the Norwegian vaccination strategy.