An elderly man collapsed and died in New York City on Sunday morning shortly after receiving a COVID-19 vaccine, officials revealed Monday.
The man, who was about 70 years old, fell when he left the Jacob Javits Convention Center in Manhattan just 25 minutes after receiving his shot, said New York State Health Commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker, in a statement.
On-site security and first responders rushed to his side in a matter of seconds, but the man, who has not yet been named, was pronounced dead at a local hospital shortly afterwards.
It is currently unclear whether the man’s death is related to the vaccine, with an ongoing investigation.
Adverse reactions to the vaccine are considered extremely rare, with these few cases most commonly related to an allergic reaction known as anaphylaxis.
“Early indications are that the man had no allergic reaction to the vaccine,” Zucker said in a statement.
The man, who was about 70 years old, fell as he left the Jacob Javits Convention Center in Manhattan (above) just 25 minutes after receiving his shot.
Adverse reactions to the vaccine are considered extremely rare, with these few cases most commonly related to an allergic reaction known as anaphylaxis (photo file)
The man’s sudden collapse followed a mandatory 15-minute observation period, during which he “showed no adverse reactions or any anxiety,” Zucker said.
The FDNY said the patient was taken to hospital by elderly people just before 11am on Sunday, where he died shortly after arrival.
The man’s identity has not yet been revealed by officials. It is also unclear what type of vaccine COVID-19 received.
The Javits Center and Zucker’s office have not yet sent any requests from DailyMail.com for comment.
In his statement, Zucker stressed that he and other public health experts believe the vaccine “is safe and, along with continued surveillance, including wearing a mask and social distancing, will end this pandemic.”
“I encourage all eligible New Yorkers to get vaccinated,” Zucker continued.
The Javits Center opened as a mass vaccination site in January and is one of several in the New York area. It was originally used as a field hospital after the coronavirus pandemic first occurred last spring.
To date, nearly one million people in New York City have been vaccinated and 1.5 million residents have received the first doses statewide.
Across the United States, the daily number of people vaccinated now far exceeds the number of those infected, with a national average of 1.3 million shots a day.
To date, a total of about 42 million doses have been administered.
At least one dose of vaccine has been administered to 31,579.1 billion people, which equates to 9.6 percent of the population.
Just over 9,147,000 Americans have received the two doses of vaccine, representing 2.78 percent of the population.
The Javits Center opened as a mass vaccination site in January and is one of several in the New York area.
Adverse reactions to the vaccine are considered extremely rare, with these few cases most commonly related to allergic reactions.
However, since vaccine deployment began in December, there have been a handful of unexplained deaths so far that affect those who recently received a COVID shot.
Over the weekend, Virginia Minister Drene Keyes, 58, died less than a day after receiving a dose of the Pfizer vaccine at a clinic in Warsaw on Friday and falling ill.
Officials said they were unaware of his cause of death, of any underlying condition Keyes may have had and may have contributed to, and said there was no evidence to suggest his death was related to the vaccination.
“Early indications are that the man did not have any allergic reactions to the vaccine,” Zucker said in a statement.
Similar to Sunday’s incident in New York City, Keyes remained in the clinic for 15 minutes after the shooting, as recommended, before returning to the clinic later that day.
She was rushed to VCU Health Tappahannock Hospital, where she died Saturday.
“Preliminary findings indicate that the cause of death was not anaphylaxis, but it will be several weeks before additional information becomes available,” Warsaw police chief Joan Kent said.
“We can confirm that the death occurred within hours of receiving the vaccine, but that doesn’t prove to be related. We are currently investigating and we still don’t know the cause of death.”
Kent continued, “Our thoughts are with the family during this heartbreaking time,” the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a statement. “CDC continues to closely monitor the safety of all vaccines and we are actively working with Virginia officials to fully investigate the situation.”
Over the weekend, Virginia Minister Drene Keyes (right), 58, died less than a day after receiving a dose of the Pfizer vaccine at a Warsaw clinic on Friday and fell ill
Similarly, in California last month, Tim Zook, a 60-year-old X-ray technologist at South Coast Global Medical Center in Santa Ana, died Jan. 7 two days after receiving his second dose of the shot. Pfizer.
He had written on Facebook on the day of his vaccination that “he had never been so excited to get shot before” and that he was celebrating his “full vaccination”.
However, within hours, the father of three suffered an apparent adverse reaction, which told classmates he had sharp stomach pains and difficulty breathing.
After his symptoms worsened, his co-workers took him to the emergency room, where he was placed on a ventilator four hours after arriving.
The Orange County coroner said Zook’s cause of death is inconclusive and that the toxicology tests will take months to complete. If there is a correlation with the vaccine, the office said it will notify the OC Health Care Agency.
In a statement to DailyMail.com at the time, a Pfizer spokesman said the company is aware of Zook’s death and is also investigating the matter.
Pfizer said: “Our immediate thoughts are with the family in distress. We are closely following these events and gathering relevant information to share with global regulators.
‘Based on ongoing safety reviews conducted by Pfizer, BioNTech and health authorities, BNT162b2 retains a positive risk-benefit profile for the prevention of COVID-19 infections. Unfortunately, serious adverse events, including non-vaccine-related deaths, occur at a rate similar to that of the general population. ”
Tim Zook (above with his wife Rochelle), a 60-year-old X-ray technologist at South Coast Global Medical Center in Santa Ana, died just two days after receiving his second dose of Pfizer jab
Moments after he was given the vaccine, Zook wrote on Facebook: “I had never been thrilled to get shot before. I am now fully vaccinated after receiving my second dose of Pfizer.”
Zook’s wife, Rochelle Zook, told the Registry that her family did not “blame any pharmaceutical company.”
“My husband loved what he did,” she said. He worked in hospitals for 36 and a half years. He believed in vaccines. I’m sure I would take this vaccine again and I would want the public to take it.
But when someone shows symptoms 2 and a half hours after the vaccine, it’s a reaction. What else could have happened? We wish the audience knew what happened to Tim, so he didn’t die in vain. Serious reactions are rare. In fact, COVID is a much more lethal force than the reactions to the potential vaccine itself.
“The message is, rest assured, get the vaccine, but officials need to do more research. We need to know the cause. The vaccines need to be as safe as possible. All life matters.
On Sunday, for the first time in three months, the United States reported fewer than 100,000 new daily cases of COVID-19, and hospitalizations also fell as vaccine launches picked up momentum.
Just over 96,000 new cases and 1,474 deaths were reported nationwide on Sunday, according to a COVID Tracking Project count.
These latest figures have reached the United States in more than 26.99 million cases and 463,339 deaths to date.
Hospitalizations also fell with 81,439 patients admitted as of Sunday, the fourth day in a row with less than 90,000 after two months above that threshold.
