Tulsa man discusses rare reaction to his fourth COVID-19 shot

TULSA, Okla. — A north Tulsa man says he suffered from what his cardiologist calls a one in a million reaction to his fourth COVID shot.

85-year-old Jessie Alexander said despite the reaction, he’d still get another booster.

Alexander got the shot in September. He started to feel weak and dizzy a few hours later.

“I went and laid down in the bed, about 2 a.m. I started to feel really bad,” said Alexander.

His granddaughter Chelcie knew something was wrong when he didn’t come downstairs by 8 a.m. the next morning. Chelcie found her granddad unresponsive in his room.

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Alexander spent a week in the hospital. Doctors ran multiple tests and determined it was a reaction to the vaccine.

“When the cardiologist came in, he said this was a rare situation for him to have this type of reaction,” said Alexander’s daughter Marnie.

Alexander has made a full recovery. He and Marnie are thankful that Chelcie was there.

“If you have a loved one, make sure they tell you if you’re getting a vaccine,” said Marnie. “We really don’t know how our bodies will respond to vaccines.”

Alexander said he had no issues with the first three COVID vaccines, but the fourth caused this reaction.

The AARP says pain at the injection site, fatigue, headache, and muscle pain are the most common side affects in older adults.

The CDC says older adults are more likely to get very sick from COVID-19. The risk increases for people in their 50s, 60s, and 70s. The risk worsens when a patient reaches the age of 85.

Adults 65 and older who are fully vaccinated had a 94% lower risk of hospitalization from COVID-19.