An X-ray technician who shared his excitement about the coronavirus vaccine died days later after what his wife claimed was a reaction to it. Tim Zook, from Santa Ana, California, wrote: ‘Never before have I been so excited to get a chance. I am now fully vaccinated after receiving my 2nd Pfizer dose on Facebook on January 2nd.
The 60-year-old uploaded a photo of his arm with a band-aid on it, as well as a photo of his vaccination card. But a few hours later, Zook had an upset stomach at work and he started struggling to breathe.
His colleagues took him to the emergency room at South Coast Global Medical Center, with Zook’s wife, Rochelle, texting him to ask, ‘Should I be worried?’
He replies’ No. Absolutely not. ‘ Zook also told Rochelle that he does not think his symptoms are related to the Pfizer vaccine. But Rochelle now fears the injections could have caused her husband’s early death.
She explained: ‘We do not blame any pharmaceutical company. My husband loved what he did. He worked in hospitals for 36 and a half 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 two and a half 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. ‘
Rochelle added: ‘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. ‘
After Tim’s initial illness, he is suspected of suffering from Covid as well as congestive heart failure.
Several Covid tests were negative, and Zook received oxygen. He was put in a ventilator about 36 hours later and transferred to the Irvine Medical Center of the University of California for specialist treatment.
Rochelle told the Orange County Register about the horrific diagnosis she received shortly thereafter: “On Friday I called: ‘His kidneys failed. He needs to dialyze. If not, he may die – but there is also a chance he may have a heart attack or stroke due to dialysis because his blood pressure is so low. ”
Zook suffered three ‘code blues’ during the ensuing hours, but he did not die. Doctors warned Rochelle that “he would have brain damage and be a vegetable” if they managed to save her husband from a fourth code. Tim passed away a few hours later.
The widow told how her deceased husband was generally very healthy. He had high blood pressure controlled by medication and was slightly overweight.
Rochelle said: ‘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. ‘
Zook’s death was reported to the vaccine reporting system, which is run by the U.S. government’s Centers for Disease Control and Food and Drug Administration.
His cause of death is currently described by the Orange County Coroner as “unconvincing”, and a toxicological report is expected to take months.
At least two other American men have died after receiving Covid vaccines, although it is unclear whether the deaths themselves were linked to the injections.
The speed with which Covid vaccines have been developed and put into service within nine months has raised concerns about their safety.
But the two shots currently approved for use in Pfizer and Moderna in the United States have been tested on tens of thousands of volunteers, with scientific data very safe.
Millions of doses of Covid vaccine have been administered in the US since December, with only a small percentage of people having adverse effects.
According to Johns Hopkins University, the United States recorded 25.4 million Covid cases and 425,250 deaths.
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