The woman, Drene Keyes, 58, received her Pfizer vaccine at a clinic in Warsaw, which is about 80 miles north of Newport News, before falling ill, Warsaw police Chief Joan Kent told NBC News.
Keyes remained at the clinic for 15 minutes after the shot, as recommended, before returning to the clinic later that day, Kent said. She was rushed to VCU Health Tappahannock Hospital, where she died Saturday.
“A co-worker said that she was trying to get in the car and said ‘something’s not right’,” her daughter Lisa Jones said.
Dr. Danny Avula, Virginia’s vaccine coordinator, said he learned about her death immediately. The case is under investigation by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“They’re looking for patterns, they’re looking for a causation versus just a correlation based on time,” he said.
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Keyes, who was also a minister, had diabetes, sleep apnea and was obese, started having trouble breathing and started vomiting. She was rushed to the hospital and died.
The Virginia Department of Health said in a statement Friday that preliminary findings indicate that the cause of death of the Gloucester woman was not anaphylaxis, which indicates a severe, potentially life-threatening allergic reaction. The state medical examiner is investigating the incident and officials say it may take several weeks for additional information to become available.
The VDH says the CDC is now gathering additional information after the death was reported to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS).
“I want to offer condolences to the family. Any loss is horrible,” said State Health Commissioner M. Norman Oliver.
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