Elderly man dies after getting COVID-19 vaccine shot in Bengal; family lodges police complaint

Kolkata: A senior citizen in West Bengal’s Dhupguri area died allegedly after being administered the Covishield vaccine, prompting his family members to lodge a police complaint, an official said on Tuesday. Krishna Dutta (64), a businessman from Jalpaiguri district, died at a local hospital, where he was rushed to after he complained of breathlessness, he said. “Dutta was administered the vaccine on Monday… He was having breathing issues at night, and taken to hospital, where he was declared dead after a while,” the official said. The person was reportedly suffering from comorbidities, he added. Later, a complaint was lodged by his family members, alleging the death to be unnatural. Dutta’s body was sent to Jalpaiguri State General Hospital for autopsy, the official said, adding, investigation is underway. Meanwhile, a total of 1,60,435 people were inoculated across the state on Tuesday, a health department official said. “Around 1,37,642 people received the first dose and 22,793 were given the second dose. Out of them, 54,782 were in the age group of 60 and above, while 19,234 were in the 45-59 age bracket,” he said. There was no adverse event following immunisation (AEFI) reported from anywhere in West Bengal, the official said. Till Tuesday, 18.43 lakh people were vaccinated. West Bengal registered one more COVID-19 death, pushing the toll to 10,281, a bulletin issued by the department said. The coronavirus tally mounted to 5,77,026 with 188 fresh cases, it said. The state now has 3,144 active cases, while 5,63,601 people have recovered from the disease thus far.