The government panel AEFI (Adverse Effects Following Immunisation) has confirmed one death due to side effects post covid vaccination. A 68 year old man died due to anaphylaxis.

Chairperson of the National AEFI committee said that this is the first death linked to covid vaccination due to anaphylaxis (severe allergic reaction). “It re-emphasises the need to wait for 30 minutes at the inoculation centre after receiving the jab. Most of the anaphylactic reactions occur during this period and prompt treatment prevents death”.

In 2 other cases of anaphylaxis, both the persons were hospitalized after their vaccination on January 16 and 19 and both of them have recovered. This is the first case of death where the 68 year old man was vaccinated on March 8’21. The reporting rate is 2.7 deaths per million vaccine doses administered and 4.8 hospitalisations per million vaccine doses, as per data received in first week of April.

Of the 31 cases assessed casually, 18 were classified as having inconsistent causal association to vaccination (coincidental - not linked to vaccination), 7 were classified as indeterminate and 2 cases were found to be unclassifiable. Indeterminate reactions are reactions which have occurred soon after vaccination but there is no definitive evidence in current literature or clinical trial data that this event could have been caused due to the vaccine, with further studies required. Unclassifiable is defined as events which have been investigated but there is not enough evidence for assigning a diagnosis due to missing crucial information. However unclassifiable events may be reconsidered for assessment when information becomes available.

The report also says that there is no definite evidence in clinical trial data that the death could have been caused by vaccine. Further analysis observations and studies are required in this case. The panel also said that the benefits of vaccination are overwhelmingly greater than the small risk of harm. It added “all measures of utmost precaution, all emerging signals of harm are being constantly tracked and reviewed periodically.”

(inputs from toi and thenewsminute)