An elderly man died shortly after getting a COVID-19 vaccine in New York City, health officials said Monday.
The man, in his 70s, collapsed as he was leaving the vaccination site at the Jacob Javits Convention Center in Manhattan Sunday morning, state Health Commissioner Howard Zucker said, local television station PIX first reported.
On-site security and first responders rushed to his side within seconds but the man died at a local hospital a short time later, according to Zucker.
In a statement, Zucker said the incident occurred about 25 minutes after the man received the vaccine and followed the required 15-minute observation period, "where he exhibited no adverse reactions or any distress."
"Initial indications are that the man did not have any allergic reaction to the vaccine," the health official said, adding he and other public health experts maintain the coronavirus vaccine is safe.
"I encourage all eligible New Yorkers to get vaccinated," Zucker's statement concluded.
The mass-vaccination site first opened Jan. 13; the convention center was originally used as a field hospital after the coronavirus pandemic first struck last spring.
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