An X-ray technician in California died earlier this month, just four days after receiving his second dose of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine, according to a report.
Tim Zook, 60, died at the UC Irvine Medical Center on Jan. 9 after first falling ill at South Coast Global Medical Center – where he worked – hours after getting his second jab, the Orange County Register reported.
Zook, a married father of three, shared his excitement on Facebook after completing the vaccination.
“I’ve never been so excited to get a chance,” he wrote on January 5. “I have now been fully vaccinated after receiving my 2nd dose of Pfizer.”
His rapid decline in health and eventual death led his wife, Rochelle Zook, to seek answers.
She said her husband, in addition to high blood pressure, which is controlled with medication and is slightly overweight, is healthy.
“We do not blame any pharmaceutical company,” Rochelle told the newspaper. ‘But if someone gets symptoms 2 1/2 hours after a vaccine, it’s a reaction. What else could have happened there?
‘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,” she said.
The cause of Tim, who has not yet been determined, is being investigated by the Orange County Coroner, the report said.
“If it is determined that there may be an association with the vaccine, we will notify the OC Health Care Agency immediately,” Carrie Braun, a spokeswoman for the coroner, told the newspaper.
California health and human services are also investigating state deaths that may be related to the vaccine.