COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio Department of Health is investigating what may have caused a 21-year-old University of Cincinnati student to die suddenly last Sunday, about a day after receiving the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. .
Alicia Shoults, a spokeswoman for the state health department, said the agency was awaiting completion of a Hamilton County autopsy report and, if necessary, further guidance from the CDC.
If an adverse effect of a vaccine is reported to the CDC, it will lead to a federal investigation into whether the adverse effects are accidental or in some way related to the vaccine, Shoults said.
The student, John Foley, died unexpectedly on Sunday, according to an obituary his family published through a funeral home in Columbus. He was a junior studying medical science, and his mother, Mary Beth Foley, is a lawyer with the state police and fire pension fund. A memorial service is scheduled for Friday.
There are few details available about Foley’s death. There is no available evidence to suggest that his death was related to the vaccine.
But his family issued a statement on Wednesday demanding patience and privacy after Alex Berenson, a writer who gained notoriety for promoting additional, skeptical views on the coronavirus pandemic, lock-in measures and vaccinations, his social media used account to share information about Foley’s death. This includes publishing a private message from Foley’s mother sharing the news with friends saying the family had a ‘bad COVID vaccination reaction’ but was not sure.
“We understand that many people want to know more about his death – we do too – but we ask people to understand that this is the time for our family to mourn privately,” said the family’s public statement, shared by Mark Weaver, a crisis communications consultant who said the family does not allow media interviews.
Foley’s death comes amid growing public concern about the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Federal officials on Tuesday suspended the administration of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, citing concerns about a possible complication that people in six documented cases – out of nearly 7 million people vaccinated – had dangerous blood clots after receiving the vaccine.
Medical experts said the break was meant to make time to examine the blood clots to see if they were related to the vaccine. Public health officials and medical experts said vaccines were an important part of ending the coronavirus pandemic, which killed 18,917 Ohio residents and killed more than 564,000 people nationwide.
Foley’s medical profile does not match the CDC’s documented cases of blood clots. All six occurred in women and the mean age was 32 years. According to federal officials, the side effects started six to 13 days after they received Johnson & Johnson vaccinations. It is also still unclear whether the blood clots were linked to the vaccines, or accidentally. Side effects, including extremely rare, are known to be associated with many vaccinations, medications, and other common medical treatments.
An official at Hamilton County’s Coroner’s Office said Wednesday it could take days or weeks before an autopsy is completed. No additional information was available, he said.
According to a logbook of emergency calls published by the Cincinnati Fire Department, there was an emergency call Sunday night for a possible DOA that matched an address the coroner’s office had. Cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer have filed a public records request for information related to the call, but the request has not yet been completed. A police spokesman said on Thursday that there was a backlog for fulfilling public record requests.
Officials at the University of Cincinnati and UC Health, the hospital system that administered a mass vaccination center on the UC campus this past weekend, did not respond to requests for comment, nor did a Hamilton County Health Department spokesman. not. Cincinnati Department of Health spokeswoman Marla Fuller said Thursday her agency has no information on the deaths.