A healthcare worker in Telangana, who was vaccinated for Covid-19 on Tuesday, died on Wednesday but authorities said the death seems unrelated to the vaccine.
Director of Public Health and Family Welfare, Dr G. Srinivas Rao, said that the healthcare worker was given the jab of Covid vaccine on Tuesday at around 11.30 a.m. at Kuntala Primary Health Centre.
At about 2.30 a.m. on Tuesday, he is said to have developed chest pain and was brought dead to District Hospital, Nirmal around 5.30 a.m.
"Preliminary findings suggest that the death seems to be unrelated to vaccination. As per the guidelines, post-mortem will be conducted by a team of doctors," the director said.
The district Adverse Effects Following Immunization (AEFI) committee is examining the matter and will submit its report to the state AEFI committee. The state AEFI committee will in turn furnish its report to the central AEFI committee for taking a view.
This is the first death to be reported in Telangana since the country-wide vaccination programme for public healthcare workers began on January 16.
A total of 51,997 healthcare workers working in Central and state government institutions were vaccinated at 894 centres across the state on Tuesday.
Vaccination is not being conducted on Wednesday as per the schedule already announced by the state health authorities.
Officials said a total of 69,625 healthcare workers were vaccinated in Telangana in three days. The cumulative percentage vaccinated against target is 74.
The Director had stated Tuesday night that no case of serious/severe AEFI was reported.
On the third day, 51 AEFI cases were reported. Out of these, three required hospitalisation and they are stable.
In one of the cases, a 42-year-old female healthcare worker panicked and collapsed after Covid vaccination shot in Jangaon district. The official termed it as atypical injection panic reaction. The woman quickly recovered. She is stable but was kept under observation as a precautionary measure.
On the first day on January 16, a total of 3,962 healthcare workers were vaccinated at 140 centres. Eleven of them had minor side effects and all have recovered.
On January 18, a total of 13,665 beneficiaries were covered at 335 centres. Of them 15 reported minor side effects and they have also fully recovered.
