The Ministry of Health (MoH) is reporting a fourth death possibly linked to the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine.
"This is a tragic circumstance, and the Board expresses their sympathy to the individual’s whānau and friends," a MoH spokesperson said.
The MoH spokesperson said the COVID-19 Vaccine Independent Safety Monitoring Board reviewed the Centre for Adverse Reactions Monitoring report relating to the death in March and reviewed it again in April.
"However, at the time, there was insufficient information to determine the potential role of the vaccine in the death."
The spokesperson said the board met again in November to reconsider the case after it received further information which revealed that the person had myocarditis at the time of their death.
"The Board now considers that the development of myocarditis in this individual was possibly due to vaccination with the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. It’s important to note this case is with the Coroner who is still investigating the cause of death."
The MoH said the case does not "impact or change" the information on myocarditis.
"The benefits of vaccination with the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine continue to greatly outweigh the risk of such rare side effects."
