An elderly man collapsed in New York on Sunday morning and died shortly after receiving a COVID-19 vaccine, officials revealed Monday.
The man, who was in his 70s, fell when he left the Jacob Javits Conference Center in Manhattan, just 25 minutes after receiving a shot, Dr. Howard Zucker, a New York health commissioner, said in a statement.
Security on the premises and first responders rushed to his side within seconds, but the man, who had not yet mentioned his name, was pronounced dead at a local hospital shortly afterwards.
It is currently unclear whether the man’s death is related to the vaccine, and an investigation is now underway.
Adverse reactions to the vaccine are considered extremely rare, and the few cases have mostly been linked to an allergic reaction known as anaphylaxis.
“Initial indications are that the man had no allergic reaction to the vaccine,” Zucker said in his statement.
The man, who was in his 70s, fell when he left the Jacob Javits Convention Center (above) of Manhattan, just 25 minutes after receiving his shot.
Adverse reactions to the vaccine are considered extremely rare, with the few cases most commonly linked to an allergic reaction known as anaphylaxis (file photo)
The man’s sudden collapse follows a mandatory 15-minute observation period in which he “shows no adverse reactions or any distress,” Zucker said.
The FDNY said the patient was brought to the hospital just before 11am Sunday, where he died shortly after his arrival.
The identity of the man has not yet been revealed by officials. It is also unclear what type of COVID-19 vaccine he received.
The Javits Center and Zucker’s office have not yet returned a DailyMail.com request for comment on the matter.
In his statement, Zucker stressed that he and other public health experts believe the vaccine is ‘safe’, and coupled with continued vigilance, including wearing a mask and social distance, will put an end to this pandemic.
“I encourage all New Yorkers to be vaccinated,” Zucker continued.
The Javits Center opened in January as a mass vaccination center and is one of several in the New York City area. It was originally used as a field hospital after the coronavirus pandemic first struck last year.
Nearly one million people in New York have been vaccinated so far, and 1.5 million residents have received their first doses across the country.
Across the U.S., the daily number of people being vaccinated now exceeds the numbers infected, averaging 1.3 million shots per day.
Nearly 42 million doses have been administered in total so far.
At least one dose of a vaccine has been administered to 31.579.100 million people, equivalent to 9.6 percent of the population.
Just over 9,147,000 Americans now receive both doses of a vaccine, accounting for 2.78 percent of the population.
The Javits Center opened in January as a mass vaccination center and is one of several in the New York City area
Adverse reactions to the vaccine are considered extremely rare, but the few cases have mostly been linked to allergic reactions.
However, since vaccination began in December, there have been a handful of hitherto unexplained deaths involving those who recently received a COVID shot.
Over the weekend, Virginia Secretary of State Drene Keyes, 58, died less than a day after receiving a dose of Pfizer vaccine at a clinic in Warsaw on Friday and falling ill.
Officials said they did not know what her cause of death was, or of any underlying conditions Keyes may have had that could have contributed to it, and said there was no evidence to suggest that her passing was related to the vaccination. not.
“Initial indications are that the man had no allergic reaction to the vaccine,” Zucker said in his statement.
Similar to Sunday’s incident in New York, Keyes, as recommended, stayed in the clinic for 15 minutes after the shot before returning to the clinic later that day.
She was rushed to VCU Health Tappahannock Hospital, where she died Saturday.
“Preliminary findings indicate that the cause of death was not anaphylaxis, but it will be several weeks before additional information becomes available,” said Joan Kent, chief of police in Warsaw.
‘We can confirm that the death occurred within hours of receiving the vaccine, but this is not evidence that it is related. We are currently investigating and do not yet know what the cause of death is. ‘
Kent continues, “We are thinking of the family during this heartbreaking time,” the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a statement. “CDC is closely monitoring the safety of all vaccines, and we are actively working with Virginia officials to fully investigate the situation.”
Over the weekend, Virginia Secretary of State Drene Keyes (right) (58) died less than a day after receiving a dose of Pfizer vaccine at a clinic in Warsaw on Friday and fell ill.
Similarly, Tim Zook, a 60-year-old X-ray technologist at South Coast Global Medical Center in Santa Ana, died on January 7 last month two days after receiving his second dose of Pfizer shot.
He wrote on the day of his vaccination on Facebook that he ‘had never been so excited to get a chance before’ and celebrated that he had been ‘fully vaccinated’.
However, the father of three reportedly had an apparent negative reaction within hours, telling co-workers that he had sharp pains in his stomach and was struggling to breathe.
After his symptoms worsened, his colleagues took him to the emergency room where he was placed on a ventilator four hours after arrival.
According to the Orange County coroner, the cause of Zook’s death is currently unconvincing, and it will take months to complete further toxicological tests. If there is a connection with the vaccine, the office said it will notify the OC Health Care Agency.
In a statement to DailyMail.com at the time, a Pfizer spokesman said the company was aware of Zook’s death and was also investigating the matter.
Pfizer said: ‘We immediately think of the grieving family. We keep a close eye on all such events and gather relevant information to share with global regulators.
‘Based on ongoing safety reviews conducted by Pfizer, BioNTech and healthcare authorities, BNT162b2 maintains a positive benefit-risk profile for the prevention of COVID-19 infections. Serious side effects, including non-vaccine-related deaths, will unfortunately occur at the same rate as in the general population. ‘
Tim Zook (above with wife Rochelle), a 60-year-old X-ray technologist at South Coast Global Medical Center in Santa Ana, died just two days after receiving his second dose of Pfizer jab.
Moments after getting the vaccine, Zook wrote on Facebook: ‘Never been excited before to get a chance. I am now fully vaccinated after receiving my second dose of Pfizer ‘
Zook’s wife, Rochelle Zook, told the Register that her family does not blame a pharmaceutical company. ‘
“My husband loved what he did,” she said. ‘He worked in hospitals for 36 1/2 years. He believed in vaccines. I’m sure he’s going to take the vaccine again, and he wants the public to take it.
‘But if someone gets symptoms 2 1/2 hours after a vaccine, it’s a reaction. What else could have happened there? We want the public to know what happened to Tim so he does not die in vain. Severe reactions are rare. In fact, COVID is a much more lethal force than reactions of the potential vaccine itself.
‘The message is: be safe, take the vaccine – but officials need to do more research. We need to know what the cause is. The vaccines should be as safe as possible. Every life matters. ‘
On Sunday, for the first time in three months, the US reported less than 100,000 new COVID-19 cases daily, while hospitalizations also declined as the vaccine gained momentum.
Some 96,000 new cases and 1,474 deaths were reported nationwide on Sunday, according to a version of the COVID Tracking Project.
The latest numbers so far have been more than 26.99 million cases and 463,339 deaths in the US.
Hospitalizations also dropped with 81,439 patients admitted from Sunday – the fourth consecutive day by less than 90,000 after two months above the threshold.
