A Virginia minister died shortly after receiving the coronavirus vaccination, officials said on Friday, although there is no indication that the vaccine is the fault.
Drene Keyes, 58, received her Pfizer vaccine at a clinic in Warsaw, about 80 miles north of Newport News, before she fell ill, Warsaw Police Chief Joan Kent told NBC News.
The authorities said they did not know the cause of death, or any underlying conditions that Keyes might have and that could have contributed to his death, and said there was no evidence that it was related to the vaccination.
Keyes stayed at the clinic for 15 minutes after the injection, as recommended, before returning to the clinic the same day, said Kent. She was rushed to VCU Health Tappahannock Hospital, where she died on Saturday.
Although the official cause of death was not immediately determined, Keyes did not die of any allergic reactions related to the vaccine, according to state health commissioner M. Norman Oliver.
“Preliminary findings indicate that the cause of death was not anaphylaxis, but it will take several weeks for additional information to be available,” Oliver said in a statement on Friday.
“We can confirm that the death occurred just hours after we received the vaccine, but that is not evidence that it has been linked. We are currently investigating and we still do not know the cause of death.”
“Our thoughts are with the family during this heartbreaking period,” the Center for Disease Control and Prevention said in a statement. “The CDC continues to closely monitor the safety of all vaccines and we are actively working with the Virginia authorities to fully investigate the situation.”
The Church of Abraham, in Gloucester, about 60 miles south of Warsaw, identified Keyes as one of its ministers.
“If we had been told, we would have laughed more, hugged more, worshiped more and said I love you even more,” the church said in a statement. “But without warning, our beloved has been called away.”
At least 27 million Americans have received Covid-19 vaccines, the CDC said, since emergency use authorizations were first granted in December.
Health experts have repeatedly stated that coronavirus vaccines are safe and effective and prevent people from dying from the deadly virus that killed more than 400,000 people in the United States
“I would rather get the vaccine than Covid,” said Dr. Carlos del Rio, executive associate dean of Emory University School of Medicine, after the death of great baseball player Hank Aaron.
There was widespread speculation that the vaccine caused Aaron’s death before the Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office concluded that he died at the age of 86 from natural causes.
After Keyes’ death, CDC and Virginia health officials “will assess the situation as more information becomes available and provide timely updates on what is known and any necessary actions,” according to the CDC statement.
“It has been a difficult year as each of us struggles with a worldwide pandemic. The use of Covid-19 vaccines is the next step in our efforts to protect Americans and reduce the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.”
The state health commissioner also asked Virginians to continue looking for and receiving Covid-19 vaccines.
“Vaccines are our best hope for ending this pandemic and they are very, very safe,” said Oliver. “Most clinical trials of vaccines involve about 6,000 people – clinical trials of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines followed more than 70,000 people, including many people with chronic medical conditions.”