Govt Panel Confirms First Death Due To COVID Vaccine In India

New Delhi: For the first time, a government panel studying adverse side-effects of COVID-19 vaccine has confirmed the death of a person in the country after getting the jab.

A 68-year-old man died on March 31 due to anaphylaxis (a severe, potentially life-threatening allergic reaction) after he was administered a coronavirus vaccine, according to a report by the Adverse Events Following Immunization (AEFI) Committee under the Union Health Ministry.

AEFI Committee Advisor NK Arora said the panel has assessed 31 severe cases reported since the government launched the vaccine drive in January.

“This is the first death where causality has been established, with vaccine resulting in an anaphylaxis reaction. But compared to the overall numbers, only a small number had a severe reaction,” Arora was quoted as saying by NDTV.

According to Arora, of the 31 cases of adverse events, three were reported as anaphylaxis half an hour after the shot. Two of them were hospitalized and discharged, but one died.

Eighteen cases were found to be unrelated to vaccines and classified as “coincidental”. There were two cases of hospitalisation linked to vaccines.

In seven cases, there is no definite evidence to link the deaths to vaccines. In two cases, there is not enough information.