OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is investigating the death of a Nebraska man that was ruled to have been caused, in part, by the COVID-19 vaccine, state health officials reported.
The man, whose name has not been released, died Jan. 17, the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services said late Thursday in a news release. His death came one to two weeks after he received his first dose of the vaccine, officials said.
The man was in his 40s and a long-term care facility resident who had several underlying health conditions, state health officials said. Dr. Gary Anthone, Nebraska's chief medical officer, said that while he couldn't speculate on the man's death, "when individuals die days or weeks after the vaccine has been administered, it is more likely due to other underlying factors."
"We have confidence in the safety of the vaccine and understand that there may be questions about a situation such as this," Anthone said.
The man's death has been entered into the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System, a national vaccine safety surveillance program run by the CDC and the FDA. Anytime a death or any adverse event occurs after a vaccination, the case must be reported to VAERS.