Norway finds no link between Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine and deaths in care homes


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Norwegian health officials established no link between Pfizer/BioNTech's Covid-19 vaccine and 33 deaths among elderly people who received their first dose.

Authorities recommended that doctors consider the overall health of frail patients before carrying out inoculations, after analysis found advanced age and serious illness were major factors in some of the deaths.

A leading British immunologist welcomed Norway's investigation but said the public should maintain confidence in the vaccine.

Norway registered the 33 deaths in the weeks following the start of its vaccination campaign in late-December.

Camilla Stoltenberg, director general of the Norwegian Institute of Public Health, said all 13 cases that were analysed involved elderly patients who were frail and had serious illnesses.

"It is important to remember that on average about 45 people die every day at nursing homes in Norway, so it's not a given that this represents any excess mortality or that they are related to the vaccines," she said.

Prof Peter Openshaw from Imperial College London said the deaths should not unduly affect public confidence in the vaccine.

"Not at all. But it's very important that it's property investigated," he told The National.

Norwegian officials said doctors should consider whether patients who were frail or terminally ill should receive the vaccine on a case-by-case basis.

"It's not impossible that some of those who have gotten the vaccine are so frail that maybe you should have reconsidered and not given them the vaccine, because they are so sick that they might have become worse from the normal side effects as the body reacts and builds up immunity," Ms Stoltenberg said.

The Norwegian Medicines Agency said last week that normal side effects from the vaccine, such as fever and nausea, may have "contributed to a fatal outcome in some frail patients".

Several countries, including Norway's neighbours Denmark, Finland and Sweden, as well as Iceland, reported some post-vaccination deaths, although no direct link to the vaccine was established.

Pfizer and BioNTech said they were working with the Norwegian Medicines Agency to "gather all the relevant information".

They said Norway's vaccination campaign started with the elderly in care homes.

"Most of [the residents] are very elderly with underlying medical conditions and some of which are terminally ill," the companies said.

More than 48,000 people have been vaccinated against the virus in Norway so far.

In pictures – coronavirus across Europe

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Breast cancer in men: the facts

1) Breast cancer is men is rare but can develop rapidly. It usually occurs in those over the ages of 60, but can occasionally affect younger men.

2) Symptoms can include a lump, discharge, swollen glands or a rash. 

3) People with a history of cancer in the family can be more susceptible. 

4) Treatments include surgery and chemotherapy but early diagnosis is the key. 

5) Anyone concerned is urged to contact their doctor

 

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  • The 17th Century Agra Colonnade, from the bathhouse of the fort of Agra in India
  • A stagecloth for The Ballet Russes that is 10m high – the largest Picasso in the world
  • Frank Lloyd Wright’s 1930s Kaufmann Office
  • A full-scale Frankfurt Kitchen designed by Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky, which transformed kitchen design in the 20th century
  • Torrijos Palace dome
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Chatham House Rule

A mark of Chatham House’s influence 100 years on since its founding,  was Moscow’s formal declaration last month that it was an “undesirable
organisation”. 

 

The depth of knowledge and academics that it drew on
following the Ukraine invasion had broadcast Mr Putin’s chicanery.  

 

The institute is more used to accommodating world leaders,
with Nelson Mandela, Margaret Thatcher among those helping it provide
authoritative commentary on world events. 

 

Chatham House was formally founded as the Royal Institute of
International Affairs following the peace conferences of World War One. Its
founder, Lionel Curtis, wanted a more scientific examination of international affairs
with a transparent exchange of information and ideas.  

 

That arena of debate and analysis was enhanced by the “Chatham
House Rule” states that the contents of any meeting can be discussed outside Chatham
House but no mention can be made identifying individuals who commented.  

 

This has enabled some candid exchanges on difficult subjects
allowing a greater degree of free speech from high-ranking figures.  

 

These meetings are highly valued, so much so that
ambassadors reported them in secret diplomatic cables that – when they were
revealed in the Wikileaks reporting – were thus found to have broken the rule. However,
most speeches are held on the record.  

 

Its research and debate has offered fresh ideas to
policymakers enabling them to more coherently address troubling issues from climate
change to health and food security.   

 
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China

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AUSTRALIA SQUAD

Aaron Finch, Matt Renshaw, Brendan Doggett, Michael Neser, Usman Khawaja, Shaun Marsh, Mitchell Marsh, Tim Paine (captain), Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Jon Holland, Ashton Agar, Mitchell Starc, Peter Siddle

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  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
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First Test
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