The family of an Orange County man who died days after receiving a second dose of a COVID-19 vaccine say they remain firm believers in vaccination and are still hoping for better answers about his cause of death.
After 11 grueling months working on the front lines at South Coast Global Medical Center in Santa Ana, Tim Zook finally felt hopeful.
The 60-year-old X-ray technologist had watched COVID-19 patients struggle to breathe and families devastated by loss, and he had grappled with his own fears about bringing the deadly virus home to his family. After receiving his second dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, he immediately shared his enthusiasm on Facebook.
“Never been so excited to get a shot before,” he wrote Jan. 5, sharing a photo of a Band-Aid on his arm and his completed COVID-19 vaccination card.
“He worked tirelessly this whole year trying to save people’s lives who were impacted by COVID,” said his wife, Rochelle Zook, of Orange. “He came home all year long very emotional, sad about the kind of death he was seeing in this community. But he never gave up. He believed in order to stop this virus you have to take the vaccine.”
Catholic
Tim Zook was “quite healthy” his wife said, though he took medication for high blood pressure and was slightly overweight. “He had never been hospitalized. He’d get a cold and be over it two days later. The flu, and be over it three days later.”
According to news reports, Zook told his wife he wasn’t afraid to get the vaccine. He even photographed himself on Jan. 5 before he became ill, with a Band-Aid on his arm and holding a picture of his vaccination card.
“We closely monitor all such events and collect relevant information to share with global regulatory authorities. Based on ongoing safety reviews performed by Pfizer, BioNTech and health authorities, (the vaccine) retains a positive benefit-risk profile for the prevention of COVID-19 infections. Serious adverse events, including deaths that are unrelated to the vaccine, are unfortunately likely to occur at a similar rate as they would in the general population.”
The widow of a California health care worker who died after receiving the second dose of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine says her late husband "believed in vaccines."
Tim Zook's final Facebook post shared his excitement about getting his second COVID-19 vaccine shot. His widow now thinks he may have suffered a fatal reaction to it. His official cause of death is still pending.