Radiology technician dies after second COVID-19 vaccine killed by heart disease, coroner says – Orange County Register

The x-ray technologist who died four days after his second COVID-19 shot was shot down by heart disease, the Orange County coroner concluded.

Tim Zook, 60, worked at South Coast Global Medical Center in Santa Ana and proudly displayed the bandage after his last shot from Pfizer on Jan.5. He started to feel bad a few hours later and passed away on January 9. His death has been seized by opponents of the vaccine who believe, against evidence, that the shots are dangerous.

The long-awaited autopsy report, released Wednesday, July 14, revealed that Zook’s heart was severely enlarged, thicker than normal, and dilated. “There is an outbreak of severe coronary artery disease,” he said, and his heart valves have shown mild to moderate calcium deposits.

The official cause of death was “hypertensive and atherotic heart disease with severe cardiomegaly and heart failure,” the report says. There is no mention anywhere that vaccination plays a role.

Woman not convinced

Rochelle Zook, his widow, has faith in science. She received her COVID-19 vaccines. As well as their three grown sons, Aaron, Jared and Kyle. “He would like us to be safe,” she said.

But she remains convinced that somehow Zook’s death is linked to this latest blow.

“Enlargement of the heart? How did his heart grow bigger? she asked. “He had seen a doctor and had exams and tests, no one mentioned an enlarged heart.”

Zook had high blood pressure which was well controlled with medication and was slightly overweight but otherwise healthy, she said.

Rochelle Zook’s theory is that vaccines are so new that much remains unknown. She has decided to keep tissue samples from her husband for future testing, hoping to unravel a mystery as new vaccine data emerges in the years to come.

Link difficult to establish

Experts warn that it is very difficult to draw a causal line between vaccination and death. When millions of people are vaccinated, 185 million people have received at least one injection in the United States and over 335 million doses have been given, according to the United States Centers for Disease Control some would die for a number of unrelated reasons, in terms of pure statistics.

No prescription drug or biological product, such as a vaccine, is completely free from side effects. Vaccines protect many people from dangerous diseases, but vaccines, like drugs, can cause side effects, a small percentage of which can be serious, says tthe CDC in its primer for the national vaccine adverse event notification system, where Zook’s death was recorded and where anyone can report reactions.

There have been more than 1,000 reports since April of heart inflammation called myocarditis and pericarditis after mRNA vaccinations such as the Pfizer and Moderna injections, the CDC said. These reports are rare, considering the hundreds of millions of doses of vaccine administered, and have been observed especially in adolescents and young adults. Most of the patients who received care responded well to treatment and rest and quickly felt better, the CDC said.

The inflammation was not mentioned in Zook’s autopsy report.

Pfizer condolences

In January, Pfizer sent condolences to the family and said they would be following what happened closely. “Serious adverse events, including deaths that are not related to the vaccine, are unfortunately likely to occur at a rate similar to that of the general population,” a spokesperson said at the time. The company did not return requests for comment on Wednesday.

Zook worked in hospitals for over 36 years and loved what he did, Rochelle Zook said. He believed in vaccines, would get vaccinated again, and urge the public to do so too. He passionately urged people to hide and stay at home as intensive care was inundated with COVID-19 patients in December.

Colleagues mourn the loss

He was beloved at South Coast Global Medical Center, where his colleagues mourn his loss deeply, a spokesperson said.

He loved the food, posting photos of locally grown zucchini, thick steaks, sumptuous Sunday breakfasts, wine tastings in Sonoma. He shared memes urging calm on Election Day, quoting Lincoln as saying: We are not enemies, but friends, and shared the speech President John F. Kennedy never gave: Let’s not argue between us when the future of our nation is at stake. Let us stand in solidarity with renewed confidence in our cause, united in our heritage of the past and our hopes for the future and determined that this land we love will lead all of us. humanity towards new frontiers of peace and abundance.

Zook was a caring and generous man with a deep love for his family, an always open door, and a knack for making others feel comfortable and welcome, friends and family say. Missing him and waiting for the autopsy report was difficult. But finally, this weekend, friends and family from all over will come together on Zoom to celebrate Zook’s life. Those who loved her needed a sense of closure, said Rochelle Zook.