Health worker dies day after receiving COVID-19 vaccine in UP's Moradabad; no link with inoculation, say officials

A 46-year-old health worker died a day after receiving the coronavirus vaccination in Uttar Pradesh’s Moradabad. Mahipal Singh, who was working as a ward boy in the surgical ward of the state-run Deendayal Upadhyaya Hospital, died on Sunday night. The Uttar Pradesh government said the man died due to septicemic shock and cardiac arrest, and that the death was not related to the COVID-19 vaccination. However, the deceased’s family said he was not suffering from any ailment other than fever and cough, and blamed his death on the vaccine. Authorities are also citing the autopsy report which says the cause of death was “cardio-pulmonary disease”. “An adverse event following immunisation (AEFI) committee probed the death of the man in Moradabad. The cause of death was septicemic shock and cardiac arrest and it has nothing to do with the vaccination,” the Uttar Pradesh additional chief secretary (Health) Amit Mohan Prasad told reporters in Lucknow. He said that some persons were spreading false news regarding the vaccine and vaccinations, and people should not trust them. “The two vaccines (Covishield and Covaxin) used in the country are safe,” Prasad added. Moradabad chief medical officer Milind Chandra Garg said that the deceased’s heart “was found enlarged and with blood clots in the postmortem report”. “It appears that Mahipal was suffering from cardiac disease,” he added. The report of the postmortem, conducted by three doctors, said the death was caused by “cardio-pulmonary disease” and that there is “no relation with corona vaccine”. The chief medical officer dismissed suggestions that the vaccine shot could have caused a side effect, leading to Singh’s death, PTI reported. “He was vaccinated on Saturday around noon. On Sunday he felt breathless and complained of chest congestion. We are inquiring into the reasons of the death. He did night duty on Saturday too and there were no problems,” Garg was quoted as saying by NDTV. While he admitted that some employees were suffering from fever after taking the shots, he maintained that those were “general problems”, unlike Singh’s symptoms. On the other hand, Singh’s son Vishal said that his father had called him to hospital because he was having difficulty breathing. “My father left the vaccination centre around 1.30 pm, and then I brought him home. He was feeling breathless and he was coughing. He had a bit of pneumonia, the usual cough and cold, but he started feeling worse after returning home,” Vishal was quoted as saying by NDTV. “After the vaccination, he developed a fever and felt a heaviness in breathing. On Sunday, he was admitted in the government hospital where he passed away at night,” he added. Singh’s family members also stated that he had never had any cardiac problem and he was quite healthy except for the fever and cough, PTI reported. “My father did not contract coronavirus even when he performed his duty during the pandemic,” his son said. Family members also stated that Singh never had any cardiac problem and was “quite healthy except for the fever and cough”. Meanwhile, Moradabad district magistrate Rakesh Singh said that a high-level inquiry was being ordered. “The case of Mahipal is exceptional and a high-level medical inquiry will be ordered,” he said while asserting that the vaccines are fully safe and no major side effects have been reported among others vaccinated. On Sunday, the Union health ministry said that 447 people who had received the vaccine had reported Adverse Event Following Immunisation (AEFI). A total of 20,076 healthcare workers got their first jabs in Uttar Pradesh on Saturday after Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a country-wide vaccination drive against the pandemic. With inputs from PTI