13 people died shortly after getting COVID-19 vaccine in Norway

The Norwegian Medicines Agency announced that 13 people who got a dose of the vaccine died shortly after experiencing side effects. That amounts to just 0.04 percent of the more than 30,000 people who have been given the jab across Norway in recent weeks.

All the deaths occurred with patients in treating homes, and all were over the age of 80.

The agency listed fever and nausea as side effects which “may have led to the deaths of some frail patients,” it said in a report.

Regulators are now leaving it up to each doctor to consider who should be vaccinated.

“What we say is that if you have patients who are very frail, very sick, and they have a short remaining lifespan, you should do some extra evaluation of the appropriateness of vaccinating these patients,” Steinar Madsen, chief physician at the Norwegian Medicines Agency.

He said the agency wanted to see some deaths linked to vaccinations within nursing homes but saw that the fatalities were “very, very rare” and most had occurred in very frail people with severe pre-existing conditions.

In its report, the Norwegian Medicines Agency said a total of 29 people had suffered side results from COVID-19 vaccination -- 21 women and eight men.

Besides those who died, the agency said nine had serious side effects that did not have fatal consequences and seven had less serious side effects.

These nine patients had allergic responses, strong discomfort, and severe fever, while the less serious side effects included severe pain at the injection site.

Across the world, officials expect deaths and other severe side effects to be reported after any mass vaccination campaign, given the huge numbers of people involved. But determining whether or not the vaccine caused deaths can be very challenging and requires that all other possible causes be ruled out first.