Telangana vaccination drive: 77 AEFI cases recorded in three days, 3 hospitalised post COVID-19 shot

Telangana, amidst the vaccination drive against COVID-19 infection, has reported 77 cases where healthcare workers suffered adverse effects of the vaccination. According to a report by The IE, the 24-year-old healthcare worker inoculated at UPHC Uppal on December 16 was the first one to be brought to the Gandhi hospital in Hyderabad on Monday evening. She has reportedly developed adverse effects following immunisation and therefore, was admitted to the hospital. The report citing the Gandhi hospital said that the hospital is conducting the necessary investigations and is currently monitoring the condition of the healthcare worker closely.

It is to note that close to 70,000 healthcare workers received the vaccine shot in Telangana in the last three days and this was the first case where a beneficiary has been hospitalised. Other than this, 77 cases of mild reactions have been reported. Three have, so far been admitted to hospital, among others for observation.

Dr Raja Rao, superintendent of Gandhi hospital said that the 24-year old woman had complained of giddiness, vomiting along with weakness in general. Doctors on the AEFI committee (special duty for the vaccine reactions) examined the patient. He added that the worker’s condition is currently stable and her temperature, pulse and BP are normal whereas the oxygen saturation is 100 per cent. Similar symptoms emerged in other cases.

So far, a few hundred cases of AEFI have emerged across states post the inoculation. Meanwhile in Maharashtra alone, more than 280 cases have surfaced where healthcare workers complained of adverse reactions to the Coronavirus vaccination. In Delhi, some apprehensiveness among workers at top three hospitals- AIIMS, RML and Safdarjung can bee seen. The healthcare workers are trying to wait for some more time and check the vaccine’s effects on the first batch of participants for 14 days. Health Minister Satyendar Jain also told healthcare workers that the confidence in the vaccine jab will pick up so they need not be afraid of it.