The death of a United States doctor from Florida is being investigated after he died from an unusually severe blood disorder 16 days after being administered the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine.
Doctor Dies After Receiving COVID-19 Vaccine
Dr. Gregory Michael, 56, was an obstetrician and gynecologist in Miami Beach who received the novel coronavirus vaccine at Mount Sinai Medical Center on December 18.
He died 16 days later due to a brain hemorrhage, according to his wife, Heidi Neckelmann, in a Facebook post.
Questions linger regarding the Miami Beach doctor's death. It is not clear if the 56-year-old's death was associated with the shot, but probing is underway.
Michael died after experiencing a hemorrhagic stroke reportedly resulting from a shortage of platelets.
According to communications director Jason Mahon of the Florida Department of Health, "The CDC and FDA are responsible for reviewing COVID-19 vaccine safety data and presenting that information for federal recommendations on vaccine administration. The state will continue to provide all available information to the CDC as they lead this investigation."
The Miami-Dade County Medical Examiner is probing into the doctor's death weeks after receiving a coronavirus vaccine, stated Darren Caprara, director of operations at the medical examiner's office.
Caprara said that his office is coordinating with the Florida Department of Health and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to investigate Dr. Michael's demise, reported CNN.
Michael died on January 3, 2021.
Although there is currently no supporting medical or scientific data to suggest that the COVID-19 vaccine prompted his death, the CDC is initiating a routine investigation into the incident due to the brief timeline between the two events.
Michael's wife, Heidi Neckelmann, remarked in a Facebook post that he was going to the emergency room three days following his shot due to dots he found on his skin. Michael thought the dots indicated internal bleeding.
Pfizer issued a statement indicating it was aware of the death, but it did not believe there was a direct connection to the vaccine.
Samples from an autopsy initiated on Wednesday have been transmitted to the CDC, according to Caprara.
Caprara stated that the cause of death is "pending the completion of studies" by the medical examiner and the CDC.
According to a spokesperson for Pfizer, the doctor's death was "a highly unusual clinical case of severe thrombocytopenia, a condition that decreases the body's ability to clot blood and stop internal bleeding," reported CBS 12.
Meanwhile, according to Neckelmann, Dr. Michael's platelet count plunged significantly merely days after taking the vaccine's initial dose, and weeks later, he died of a stroke.
The CDC confirmed it "is aware of a reported death in Florida of an individual who received the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine about two weeks before passing away," stated a spokesperson as reported by WRCBtv.
His wife said he had been practicing at Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami Beach for 15 years.
