Evaluation of mortality attributable to SARS-CoV-2 vaccine administration using national level data from Qatar
Adeel A. Butt, Mylai D. Guerrero, Elenor B. Canlas, Husni Al-Dwairi, Abeir Alimam, Abdur Rehman Mohamad, Mohammed T. Ali, Nidal Asaad, Ali Ahmed Sheikh Saleh Alkeldi, Mohammad Fawaz Saber Mohammad, Anil George Thomas, Abdullatif Al‐Khal, Muna Almaslamani, Abdul‐Badi Abou‐Samra
Abstract
Accurate determination of mortality attributable to SARS-CoV-2 vaccination is critical in allaying concerns about their safety. We reviewed every death in Qatar that occurred within 30 days of any SARS-CoV-2 vaccine administration between January 1, 2021 and June 12, 2022. Probability of association with SARS-CoV-2 vaccination was determined by four independent trained reviewers using a modified WHO algorithm. Among 6,928,359 doses administered, 138 deaths occurred within 30 days of vaccination; eight had a high probability (1.15/1,000,000 doses), 15 had intermediate probability (2.38/1,000,000 doses), and 112 had low probability or no association with vaccination. The death rate among those with high probability of relationship to SARS-CoV-2 vaccination was 0.34/100,000 unique vaccine recipients, while death rate among those with either high or intermediate probability of relationship to SARS-CoV-2 vaccination was 0.98/100,000 unique vaccine recipients. In conclusion, deaths attributable to SARS-CoV-2 vaccination are extremely rare and lower than the overall crude mortality rate in Qatar.