SINGAPORE - A string of deaths among seniors who were vaccinated against Covid-19 in Norway could be an isolated incident, medical experts here said, adding that the benefits outweigh the risks of vaccinations for the elderly.
On Monday, the Norwegian health authorities said there is no evidence of a direct link between the deaths and the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine they received. This vaccine is also the only one approved here so far.
A total of 33 people in Norway aged 75 and older died after getting vaccinated but all were reported to be already seriously ill prior to getting their shots.
Dr Steinar Madsen, medical director at the Norwegian Medicines Agency, told Bloomberg: "We can't say that people die from the vaccine. We can say that it may be coincidental. It is difficult to prove that it's the vaccine which is the direct cause."
He said the reported deaths make up "well under one out of 1,000". As at Jan 14, about 44,000 people in Norway have been vaccinated, most of them nursing home residents.
The Norwegian Medicines Agency's chief physician Sigurd Hortemo said: "We cannot rule out that common adverse reactions, such as fever and nausea, may contribute to a more serious course and fatal outcome in some frail patients with severe underlying diseases."
Dr Leong Hoe Nam, an infectious diseases specialist from the Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital who has taken the first dose of the vaccine, said the Norwegian case could be an "isolated" one as countries like the United States and Israel have vaccinated significantly more people but have not reported similar findings.
He added that it is important to ensure candidates are assessed for vaccination.
In Singapore, the health authorities have advised those with severe allergy to drugs, vaccines or food not to take the vaccine, he said, adding that some of the deaths in Norway are associated with allergic reactions.
Associate Professor Hsu Li Yang, an infectious diseases expert at the National University of Singapore's Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, said it is important to find out more to determine if it was an issue of vaccine safety or that the deaths in Norway were just a coincidence.
He said: "Because deaths and other severe illnesses occur at a higher rate among the elderly, we can have a spate of such events occurring after vaccination purely by chance, rather than being directly caused by the vaccine."
Doctors interviewed said the potential consequences of Covid-19 infection for seniors far outweigh the risks from the vaccine's side effects. This is as seniors are particularly vulnerable to complications from Covid-19 and are at a much higher risk of hospitalisation and death if they are infected, compared to younger people.
Following the deaths, the Norwegian Institute of Public Health updated its Covid-19 vaccination guide with more detailed advice on inoculating the elderly who are frail or terminally ill. The updated guidelines say doctors should evaluate each patient to determine whether the benefits of vaccination outweigh the risks of any potential side effects.
Professor Paul Tambyah, senior consultant at the Infectious Diseases Division of the National University Hospital, said: "The best advice I can give is to talk to your general practitioner or primary healthcare doctor.
"He or she will be able to provide you with the latest data from reliable sources and advise you on the risks versus benefits and the optimal timing for vaccination."
