Kaiser says Pfizer vaccine is likely not the cause of death of California woman

A woman with a history of heart disease died shortly after receiving her first dose of Pfizer BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine at Cal Poly Pomona on Friday February 12, although her death was not believed to be vaccine-related, said authorities. .

The 78-year-old received the injection around noon at Cal Poly Pomona, said Dr. Michael E. Morris, physician director of the COVID-19 vaccination program at Kaiser Permanente in Southern California.

She was then sitting in an observation area when she complained of feeling discomfort and then passed out during an assessment by medical staff, Morris said.

Paramedics immediately began CPR, but the woman died, he said. The cause of death was not immediately known, but officials said there were no signs of a severe allergic or anaphylactic reaction.

The woman, who has not been identified, is survived by her 57-year-old husband, who also received his first dose of the vaccine and said he intended to receive his second in a few weeks, said Morris said.

Officials kept the vaccination site open and continued to administer vaccines as long as supplies were available, Morris said.

The woman’s death comes a month after a 60-year-old Orange County doctor died after receiving his second dose of Pfizer vaccine on January 9.

Tim Zook, a radiology technologist at South Coast Global Medical Center in Santa Ana, complained of an upset stomach and difficulty breathing shortly after receiving his second dose. Several tests have come back negative for COVID-19.

Orange County coroner officials ruled Zook’s death inconclusive pending toxicology test results. His death was reported to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System, managed by the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control.

By the end of January, the notification system – which officials warn is a “passive surveillance system” and represents unverified reports of health events occurring after vaccination – collected more than 130 death reports after administration. vaccine in 2021. Over 23.5 million doses of Pfizer and Moderna vaccines have been administered.