Kuwaiti Actor Dies After Receiving Pfizer Vaccine
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – A Kuwaiti actor died of COVID-19 days after he received the first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccination.
Mishary al-Balam, who had been in intensive care in Kuwait's Jaber Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah Hospital since Saturday, died of the contagious disease on Thursday, his family confirmed.
The 48-year-old star had shared a video on his Instagram account on February 11 as he received the first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, calling on his Instagram followers to also get vaccinated.
However, he also contracted COVID-19 and his health began to deteriorate, leading to his demise reportedly due to hypoxemia, or a sharp drop in the concentration of oxygen in the blood.
“All that happened was I got infected during the vaccination,” he said on his Instagram account on February 17.
Balam began his career in 1991 in Kuwait’s theatres and managed to star in more than 56 shows and series.
Earlier this month, a report said that nearly 40 American recipients of Pfizer’s and Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccines in the United States had developed a rare immune disorder that attacks the blood. One patient died after receiving the vaccine.
The efficacy of Pfizer’s and Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccines have raised suspicions around the world, with many even in the US remaining hesitant to get the vaccine.