NOIDA: A 49-year-old man who got his first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine on Tuesday morning passed away around an hour and 15 minutes later, prompting the district magistrate to order a medical inquiry. This is the first such incident in the district.
Officials said Samay Lal Yadav had accompanying ailments like hypertension and angina and got vaccinated at the District Hospital in Sector 30 at 10.45am. Thereafter, he is reported to have been "fine" till he left the hospital after the mandatory observation period, according to a statement by chief medical officer (CMO) Dr Deepak Ohri. The District Hospital is administering Covishield.
Yadav was a resident of Nithari and worked as a driver with a local school. He and his two children were in Noida while the rest of his family, including his wife, is currently in Hinauti village in Satna tehsil of Madhya Pradesh.
Speaking to TOI, Yadav's elder brother Vanaspati Yadav (58), who is also in Hinauti, said the two had spoken on Monday night, and that Yadav was "absolutely fine" then. "What I'm told is that on Tuesday morning, he went to get himself vaccinated. For this, he took leave from school. He was fine at the District Hospital where he took the vaccine. But when he reached home a little after noon, he said his hand was numb and there was no sensation. Later, he discharged a foam like emission from his mouth and collapsed. He was rushed to the District Hospital, where he was declared dead," Vanaspati said.
After the autopsy, Dr Ohri said, "The preliminary cause of death is heart failure due to myocardial infarction (MI). The viscera has been persevered and sent to Lucknow Medical College for examination and an RT-PCR test has also been conducted on the deceased."
He added, "During autopsy, no blood was found in the heart of the deceased. Prime facie, it's a case of a heart attack. But it is not related to the vaccine as if one were to get an AEFI (adverse effect following immunisation), it should have occurred within half an hour of taking the vaccine. In this case, the person had the heart attack 1.25 hours after getting the vaccine shot. However, the cause will be clear once we get the viscera report."
The Noida administration, meanwhile, underlined that the vaccination drive had so far progressed without incident. District magistrate Suhas LY said, "Over 70,000 people have been given the coronavirus vaccine in the district in March. No problem has been reported by anyone so far. All senior officers, including myself, have taken the jabs. This is the first case of its kind in the district."
He added, "We are examining the death thoroughly and from all angles. The incident should not be a deterrent to the vaccination drive and should not be a cause of rumour-mongering against vaccination, especially on social media, as the cause of death will be ascertained only after the viscera report."
Vanaspati said his brother worked as a driver at Vishwa Bharti School in Noida. His daughter is in class 12, a student at Mahavir school in Sector 29, while his son is in Class 10 in the same school. His elder daughter is married and has a son and was visiting the family in Hinauti for Holi. "My brother's wife, Parvati, is also with us to take care of our elderly mother. Both are in a state of shock and unable to speak," said Vanaspati.
The family is arranging for Yadav's body to be taken to the MP village for the last rites.