A man from Northern California died on Thursday, several hours after receiving a dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, according to the Placer County Department of Public Health and the Placer County Sheriff’s Office.
The man tested positive for coronavirus in late December.
“There are several local, state and federal agencies actively investigating this case; any reports surrounding the cause of death are premature, pending the outcome of the investigation,” said a statement from the sheriff’s office. “Our thoughts are with the family of the deceased.”
Placer County Public Health and Human Services did not administer the vaccine and could not comment on whether the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine was given.
“We have no additional information to provide at this time,” wrote Dr. Rob Oldham, director of the department, by email.
Dr. Dean Blumberg, an infectious disease specialist at UC Davis Children’s Hospital, told KTXL-TV that people should wait for the investigation to complete before blaming the vaccine for death.
“My first suggestion is that it is probably not related to the vaccine,” Blumberg told Sacramento TV station. “We know that in severe allergic reactions that occur after immunization, the vast majority of them occur 15-30 minutes after immunization.”
California Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly commented on the incident at a news conference on Monday.
“We are watching this very closely and still standing behind overwhelming evidence that vaccines are safe,” said Ghaly. “Surprisingly, we are seeing people receiving the Pfzier and Moderna vaccines without complications. These are safe vaccines. We are seeing that they are successfully administered across the country, around the world.”
The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend that individuals who have had COVID and fully recovered be vaccinated.
“At the moment, experts don’t know how long someone is protected from getting sick again after recovering from COVID-19. The immunity that someone gains from having an infection, called natural immunity, varies from person to person,” according to the CDC. “Some early evidence suggests that natural immunity may not last long.”