MIAMI (NYTIMES) - Health authorities are investigating the case of a Florida doctor who died from an unusually severe blood disorder 16 days after receiving the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine. Dr Gregory Michael, a 56-year-old obstetrician and gynaecologist in Miami Beach, received the vaccine at Mount Sinai Medical Centre on Dec 18 and died 16 days later from a brain haemorrhage, his wife Heidi Neckelmann wrote in a Facebook post. Shortly after receiving the vaccine, Dr Michael developed an extremely serious form of a condition known as acute immune thrombocytopenia, which prevented his blood from clotting properly. In a statement, Pfizer said it was "actively investigating" the case, "but we don't believe at this time that there is any direct connection to the vaccine". The company added that "there have been no related safety signals identified in our clinical trials, the post-marketing experience thus far", or with the technology used to make the vaccine. "Our immediate thoughts are with the bereaved family," it added. About nine million people in the United States have received at least one shot of either the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna coronavirus vaccine, the two authorised in the
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WASHINGTON (REUTERS) - US President-elect Joe Biden on Tuesday (Jan 19) led a national memorial observance on the eve of his inauguration to honour the 400,000 Americans who have died from Covid-19 during the 11 months since the novel coronavirus claimed its first US victim. The sundown commemoration came just hours before President Donald Trump was due to leave the White House and hand over a country in crisis. The ceremony, spearheaded by Mr Biden and Vice-President-elect Kamala Harris from the base of the Lincoln Memorial, marked the federal government's first official nod to the staggering death toll from the pandemic. "We must remember. It's hard sometimes to remember, but that's how we heal. It's important to do that as a nation," Mr Biden said in brief remarks to kick off a tribute that was to include observances in cities across the country. As darkness fell over the nation's capital, 400 electric lamps lining the sides of the Reflecting Pool were illuminated to honour the 400,000 lives lost, followed by gospel singer Yolanda Adams' performance of the song "Hallelujah," then a moment of silence in memory of the Covid-19 dead. "Though we may be physically
