The GACVS COVID-19 Vaccine Safety subcommittee met almost on Tuesday, January 19, 2021, to review information and data on reported deaths in frail, elderly people who had been on the Pfizer BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine mRNA, BNT162b2 (hereafter, BNT162b2).
Experts invited by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and the Uppsala Research Center (UMC) provided an overview of deaths reported in Europe and in the WHO global database (VigiBase) after vaccination obtained with BNT162b2.
Based on a careful scientific examination of the information provided, the sub-committee reached the following conclusions:
The routine reports do not suggest any unexpected increase or misunderstanding in mortality in frail, elderly or any abnormal features of adverse events after BNT162b2 administration. Reports are in line with expected mortality rates and causes of death in the sub-population of frail, elderly, and the available information does not confirm the role of the vaccine in the fatal incidents reported.
With this in mind, the committee believes that the balance of benefits and risks of BNT162b2 remains favorable for the elderly, and does not recommend any review, at this time, of the recommendations regarding the safety of this vaccine.
Countries should continue to monitor the safety of vaccines, and promote routine post – vaccination rehabilitation, in line with good vaccine practices for any vaccine. The committee recommends that data on suspected adverse events be collected and reviewed on an ongoing basis – nationally, regionally and globally – as COVID-19 vaccines are distributed worldwide. -world.
The GACVS subcommittee will continue to monitor the safety data from these vaccines and update any advice as necessary.
Source:
World Health Organization