The file photo shows a medical professional using a needle and a bottle of Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine to prepare a dose at a vaccination center. (Photo by JUSTIN TALLIS / AFP via Getty Images) (Getty Images)
SANTA ANA, California. – The Orange County Registry reported Tuesday that an Orange County health worker has died after receiving his second dose of Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine.
Tim Zook, 60, worked as an X-ray technologist at South Coast Global Medical Center in Santa Ana.
On January 5, Zook posted a photo of his COVID-19 vaccination card with the caption: “Never been so excited to get a chance. I am now fully vaccinated after receiving my 2nd dose of Pfizer.”
According to the newspaper, Zook reacted unfavorably within hours of the second shot being fired. His health declined and he died four days later.
The coroner said the cause of death was unconvincing for the time being and further toxicological tests would take months, the Register reported.
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His family said he had high blood pressure and was slightly overweight, but other than that he was pretty healthy.
Zook’s wife told the newspaper that her husband is a proponent of the vaccine and that she does not blame any pharmaceutical company.
“He believed in vaccines. I’m sure he’s going to take the vaccine again, and he wants the public to take it,” she told the publication.
She said she believes more research needs to be done in cases of severe reactions to the vaccines, because while rare, it can be fatal in some cases.
“The message is: be safe, take the vaccine – but officials need to do more research. We need to know the cause,” she told the Register. “The vaccines need to be as safe as possible. Every life is important.”
Zook’s death has been reported to the National Vaccine Reporting System, which is managed by the Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control. The Orange County coroner’s office said there was a link between his death and the vaccine, it would notify the OC Health Care Agency.
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This past weekend, health officials in Placer County reported that a person died hours after receiving a COVID-19 vaccine, although they did not specify which vaccine the person received.
The individual tested positive for COVID-19 at the end of December and was given a COVID-19 vaccine a few hours before their death on 21 January 2021.
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“There are several local, state and federal agencies actively investigating this matter; any reports regarding the cause of death are premature, pending the outcome of the investigation,” the Sheriff-Coroner division in Placer County said in a statement. .
The CDC released information after learning severe allergic reactions to the COVID-19 vaccine in some cases, and recommends that anyone ever have a severe allergic reaction to any ingredient in a COVID-19 vaccine. ” then they “should not have that particular vaccine. ‘
This does not mean that everyone with bad allergies should not get it.
“CDC recommends that people with a history of severe allergic reactions not related to vaccines or injectable drugs – such as allergies to food, pet, poison, environment or latex – still be vaccinated,” the CDC wrote on its website. .
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‘People with a history of allergies to oral medicine or a family history of severe allergic reactions, or who may have a mild illness [sic] vaccine allergy (no anaphylaxis) – can also still be vaccinated. “