Covid-19 vaccine in India: Deaths not related to vaccination, clarifies govt
3 min read 18 Jan 2021, 09:26 PM ISTPost mortem revealed first death was due to cardiopulmonary disease and the second death was due to anterior wall infarction with Cardiopulmonary failure, health ministry saidPublic health experts have said that covid-19 vaccination should be encouraged as vaccines don’t generally cause deaths
PremiumAt least two people died after receiving the covid-19 vaccine in India, however, the deaths were not related to the vaccination itself, centre clarified on Monday citing their post mortem reports.
Of the two deaths reported, death of the 52-year-old male from Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh, who was vaccinated on 16th Jan and died on evening of 17th Jan, is not related to vaccination as per the post mortem report, said Manohar Agnani, additional secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare adding that the death was caused due to cardiopulmonary disease. “Post mortem by a board of three doctors revealed death due to cardiopulmonary disease (pockets of pus in lungs, enlarged heart. The second death was of a male person aged 43 years, resident of Bellary, Karnataka. He was vaccinated on 16 Jan and died today. The cause of death is anterior wall infarction with Cardiopulmonary failure. The post mortem is scheduled today at Vijayanagar Institute of Medical Sciences, Bellary, Karnataka," Agnani said.
As India entered the third day of the massive countrywide covid-19 vaccination program that started January 16, at least 580 persons so far have reported Adverse Event Following Immunization (AEFI) with majority complaining fever, headache and nausea, according to the provisional data of ongoing vaccination drive. The government said that no case of serious or severe AEFI attributable to vaccination till date. An AEFI is any unexpected medical occurrence which follows immunization which may not be related to vaccine or vaccination process.
“Out of the total AEFI, seven have required hospitalization. Of the three cases reported from Delhi, two have been discharged whereas once case with reporting fainting is under observation at Max Hospital, Patparganj," said Agnani. “The reported case of AEFI in Uttarakhand is stable and under observation at AIIMS, Rishikesh. In Chhattisgarh, one person is under observation at the Govt. Medical College, Rajnandgaon. Of the two cases of AEFI in Karnataka, one is under observation at District Hospital, Chitradurga and the second person is under observation at General Hospital, Challakere, Chitradurga," he said.
So far, a total of 3,81,305 beneficiaries have been vaccinated for covid-19 in cumulative 7,704 sessions. Over 1,48,266 beneficiaries were vaccinated on Monday alone. Public health experts have said that covid-19 vaccination should be encouraged as vaccines don’t generally cause deaths and adverse effects are common. India has granted emergency use authorisation (EUA) to two covid-19 vaccines -- Pune-based Serum Institute of India’s Covishield and Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech International Ltd’s Covaxin which are being used in the government’s vaccination drive.
“Both the vaccines which have been rolled out in India have been found to be safe by the Drugs Controller General of India’s (DCGI) Expert Committee. It is not known which vaccine ( Covishield or Covaxin ) was given to the people who died. The interim analysis of the Phase 3 trial of AstraZaneca vaccine has been published and there have been no safety concerns. Data analysed of 11 000 participants had one death that too in the control arm. Inactivated vaccines (like the Covaxin) are generally very safe, and unlikely to be related to death. The vaccinations should continue," said Lalit Kant, a scientist and former head of epidemiology and communicable diseases at the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).
The covid-19 continue to rise in India with vaccination giving hopes for pandemic control. The Active Cases in the country stand as on Monday at 2,08,012. The country has recorded less than 150 fatalities (145) in the last 24 hours after approximately 8 months (7months 23 days), the union health ministry said.
Around 76.17% of the new cases are from six States and UTs. Kerala continues to report the highest number of daily new cases at 5,005. It is followed by Maharashtra and Karnataka with 3,081 and 745 new cases, respectively. Seven States & UTs have reported 83.45% of the total fatalities happened in the last 24 hours. Maharashtra has reported 50 deaths. Kerala also saw a fatality count of 21 while West Bengal reported 12 new deaths, the government said. The total number of covid-19 cases on Monday stood at 1,05,72,672 and the toll climbed to 1,53,673.
