Healthcare worker in California dies after second dose of COVID vaccine, investigations underway – East Bay Times

Tim Zook’s last post on Facebook filled with optimism. “Never been so excited to get a chance,” he wrote on Jan. 5, above a photo of the Band-Aid on his arm and his COVID-19 vaccination card. “I have now been fully vaccinated after receiving my 2nd dose of Pfizer.”

Zook, 60, was an X-ray technologist at South Coast Global Medical Center in Santa Ana. A few hours later he had an upset stomach and breathing problems. By 3:30 p.m., it was so bad that his colleagues led him to the emergency room. “Should I worry?” his wife, Rochelle, texted when she got the news. “No, absolutely not,” he texted back. “Do you think this is a direct result of the vaccine?” tik sy. “No, no,” he said. “I do not know what. But do not be worried. ”

There were suspicions of COVID and a diagnosis of congestive heart failure. Zook was put on oxygen, and then – just four hours later – a BiPAP machine to push air into the lungs. Several tests were negative for COVID.

The hospital called shortly after midnight on January 7th. Zook was in a medically induced coma and was in a ventilator to help him breathe. But his blood pressure dropped quickly and he was transferred to UC Irvine Medical Center. “On Friday I called: ‘His kidneys are weakened. He needs to dialyze. “If not, he could die – but there is also a chance he could have a heart attack or stroke during dialysis because his blood pressure is so low,” Rochelle Zook said.

By 9 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 9, Zook had twice become ‘code-blue’ and was ripped off the brink of death. There was a third code blue that afternoon. “They said if he blew blue a fourth time, he would have brain damage and be a vegetable if he survived,” Rochelle Zook said.

Later that day, Tim Zook dies.

Reaction? But no guilt

“We do not blame any pharmaceutical company,” said Rochelle Zook, a resident of Orange. “My husband loved what he did. 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. ”

Zook had high blood pressure, but it has been controlled with medication for years, she said. He was slightly overweight, but fairly healthy. “He has never been admitted to hospital. He will catch a cold and be over it two days later. The flu, and be three days later about it, ”she said.

His death was reported to the National Vaccine Reporting System, which is managed by the Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control. According to the Orange County coroner, the cause of death is unconvincing at first, and further toxicological tests will take months.

“The family just wants to close,” said Zook’s cousin Ken Polanco of Los Angeles. ” Unconvincing ‘is not the conclusion. The family wants pharmaceutical companies to do more research – if there is some kind of DNA that does not work with this vaccine, and if episodes like this can be prevented, they should do what they can to pin it down. ‘

Other deaths after vaccination

Zook’s death comes on the heels of a Florida doctor who died on Jan. 3, weeks after receiving his first Pfizer shot. Gregory Michael, a 56-year-old obstetrician and gynecologist in Miami Beach, developed idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP), a rare immune disorder in which blood does not clot normally. His death is being investigated.

In California, Placer County officials said a man died shortly after receiving a COVID-19 vaccine on Jan. 21. They did not identify the vaccine or the person, but said he tested positive for COVID at the end of December and that the vaccine was not. given by the Department of Public Health in Placer County. Facebook reports say the man was a 56-year-old assistant in a senior living facility. Death is also being investigated.

The vaccine reporting system – which officials are warning is a “passive surveillance system” and unverified reports of health events occurring after vaccination have so far collected more than 130 death reports by 2021. reactions have been reported, while more than 23.5 million doses of Pfizer and Moderna vaccines have been administered.

Experts warn that it is very difficult to draw a causal line between vaccination and death. When millions of people are vaccinated – more than 13 million received the Pfizer vaccine on January 26, and more than 10.5 million received the Moderna vaccine – some will die due to a number of unrelated reasons, due to pure statistics.

Annually, more than 2.8 million people die in the United States. According to CDC data, this averages more than 7,800 deaths per day.

‘No prescription drug or biological product, such as a vaccine, is completely free of side effects. Vaccinations protect many people from dangerous diseases, but vaccines, such as drugs, can cause side effects, a small percentage of which can be serious, ” the Department of Health and Human Services said in the run-up to the VAERS data. “About 85-90% of the reports of vaccines are relatively small, such as fever or redness and swelling at the injection site. The remaining reports (less than 15%) describe serious events, such as hospitalizations, life-threatening illnesses or deaths. The reports of serious incidents are the biggest concern and are thoroughly investigated by VAERS staff.

‘It is important to note that there is no link between cause and effect for any report. The event may have been related to an underlying illness or condition, medication being taken concurrently, or may have occurred accidentally. ‘

Pfizer BioNTech probe

A Pfizer-BioNTech spokesman said the company was aware of Zook’s death and was thoroughly reviewing the case.

“Our immediate thoughts are with the grieving family,” the company said in an email. ‘We closely monitor all such events and gather relevant information to share with global regulators. Based on ongoing safety reviews conducted by Pfizer, BioNTech and healthcare authorities, (the vaccine) 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 a similar rate as in the general population. “

Orange County Coroner spokeswoman Carrie Braun has conducted an open autopsy on Zook’s death and will conduct additional tests within the autopsy protocol. The findings will be used in conjunction with findings of the autopsy to finally determine the cause and manner of death. “If it is determined that there may be an association with the vaccine, we will notify the OC Health Care Agency immediately,” she said.

The FDA said it takes all reports of adverse drug-related incidents seriously, and, along with CDC, “actively pursues the safety oversight” of the COVID-19 vaccines administered under emergency use permits.

“Any death reports after the administration of vaccines are being investigated immediately and rigorously by the FDA and CDC,” reads an email. “Such an investigation includes working with healthcare providers to obtain medical history and clinical follow-up information.”

Mark Ghaly, secretary of health and human services in California, said the state is also investigating these incidents. He sympathizes with those who have lost loved ones, but he stands by the scientific conclusion that the vaccines are safe.

“The details are complicated and worthy of further investigation, and that is what we are doing now,” Ghaly said on January 25 on the heels of the Placer death. “Overwhelmingly, though, we have seen so many individuals successfully, and without any significant reactions, they are receiving the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines.”

The results of the state’s sins will be shared publicly, Ghaly said, along with ‘learned lessons’. That is the key to continuing the confidence in the vaccines “and bringing us to the other side of this pandemic,” he said.

Caring, generous man

Zook was a man who passionately encouraged people to take COVID precautions, such as keeping quiet and staying home since ICUs were flooded in December. He loved food, posted photos of homemade zucchini, thick steaks, sumptuous Sunday breakfasts, wine tastings in Sonoma.

He shared memes that quoted calm on Election Day, quoting Lincoln as saying, “We are not enemies, but friends,” and was moved to share the speech that President John F. Kennedy could never deliver: “Late we do not quarrel among ourselves when the future of our nation is not at stake. Let us stand together with renewed confidence in our cause – united in our heritage of the past and our hope for the future – and determined that this country we love will lead all mankind to new frontiers of peace and abundance. ”