Two Die in Andhra, Telangana Post Covid-19 Vaccine Shot

Andhra Pradesh health department has claimed that the death is not to the vaccine, Telangana has initiated a probe.

An Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) worker from Andhra Pradesh (AP) and an anganwadi worker from Telangana, who were recently administered COVID-19 vaccine, have died in Guntur district of AP and Warangal urban district of Telangana respectively. Both the deceased are women.

B Vijaya Lakshmi, the ASHA worker from Guntur, whose death was first revealed on Sunday morning was admitted to the government hospital in Guntur on 21 January, after she developed respiratory difficulties. She was administered the vaccine on 19 January.

The second worker, G Vanitha, also died on Saturday morning. She too was administered the vaccine on 19 January.

Protests Around Guntur Death

Vijaya Lakshmi’s family members have alleged that the vaccine may have triggered a brain stroke. They also said that she developed fever and seizures soon after receiving the vaccination.

Guntur government hospital superintendent Dr G Prabhavati told The Quint that Vijaya Lakshmi suffered a stroke. The deceased was being treated in the stroke unit of the neurology department, she said. The death is unrelated to Covid-19 Vaccine, she added.

Vijaya Lakshmi’s family members and other ASHA workers staged a protest at the government hospital where she died.

District administrative officers of Guntur have visited the family members of Vijaya Lakshmi. They have informed her bereaved family that the administration had obtained her consent before administering the vaccine.

In Guntur over 10,000 health workers were vaccinated.

Some of the protesters engaged in an argument with the Guntur district collector, when he visited the hospital to console the family members of the deceased. Later, the collector said he would send a proposal to the state government for payment of compensation to the ASHA worker’s kin.

Death in Warangal, Telangana

According to a press statement issued by government of Telangana’s Health department, the 45-year-old worker, G Vanitha, from Warangal was administered the vaccine on 19 January at 12 noon.

The Warangal urban district Adverse Event Following Immunisation (AEFI) committee will probe the death, the statement read.

Once the probe completes a report will be submitted to the state AEFI committee. The state AEFI committee will later inform the Centre, the statement read.

A good percentage of health workers in both the states had earlier refused vaccine owing to fear.