Three heart recipients in Kolkata get their shots

KOLKATA: Three heart-transplant recipients, who are susceptible to contracting the novel coronavirus, were on Wednesday vaccinated on a priority basis by the city hospital, where they had undergone the surgeries.
“I was a bit hesitant to take the vaccine but Dr K M Mandana assured it would provide me with good protection against the virus. I listened to the doctor and his team, who gave me a new lease of life. Three years down the transplant, I now lead a normal life. I am also feeling fine after taking the first shot,” said Dilchand Singh, who is now 42. The para-teacher from Jhanjhi village in Deoghar made it to the headlines in May 2018, when eastern India’s first heart transplant was conducted on him at Fortis Hospital, Anandapur. Singh, like other organ recipients, have to be on immunosuppressant drugs.
“Immunosuppressant drugs make them susceptible to any kind of infection. We know how Covid can affect the coronary arteries and hence, if such patients are infected, their condition could turn serious and they can also develop serious thrombogenic events post the infection. That is why it was important to inoculate them,” said Fortis Hospital cardiothoracic surgeon Mandada, whose team had conducted the heart transplant surgery on all the three.
“During the pandemic, doctors have regularly been educating us on the precautions to keep the novel coronavirus at bay. Now that I got my first dose of the vaccine, I feel a little more at ease,” said Tanaya Pandit of Murshidabad. The 32-year-old, who was detected with dilated cardiomyopathy in 2010, underwent a heart transplant surgery in November 2018.
“I resumed cooking, which I love to do, four months after my heart transplant. But I have been stressed ever since the pandemic broke out, and more so after the second wave. Now after getting the first dose, I feel a little relaxed. I am looking forward to the second dose,” said Anusha Adhikari, another heart recipient. The 46-year-old homemaker from Dum Dum Cantonment underwent the surgery on May 28, 2019. While husband Goutam and son Anik also got their first doses, daughter Adina is yet to be eligible for the vaccine.