New Zealand’s health ministry on Monday reported the country’s first death linked to the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. The Ministry of Health, in a release, said it wants to “ensure that health care professionals and consumers remain vigilant and are aware of the signs of myocarditis and pericarditis” after a woman died following the administration of the Comirnaty Pfizer vaccine. The ministry said it has “considered that the woman’s death was due to myocarditis, which is known to be a rare side effect of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine.” Earlier this year, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) placed warning labels on Moderna’s and Pfizer’s vaccines over an increased risk of myocarditis and pericarditis, or heart inflammation. And in July, the New Zealand Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Authority, or Medsafe, issued a safety alert about myocarditis in connection with the vaccine, adding that vaccine benefits outweigh the potential side effects. While the unnamed woman’s …