A security guard who was administered a shot of Covaxin at All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi on Saturday was admitted at the hospital after he developed an allergic reaction as part of 'severe' adverse events following immunisation.
Meanwhile, a 35-year-old nurse in Kolkata was admitted to the critical care unit (CCU) of a hospital after she lost consciousness within minutes of taking the COVID-19 vaccine on Saturday, officials said.
She is one of the 15,707 beneficiaries who were vaccinated across West Bengal during the day.
According to AIIMS Director Randeep Guleria, the security guard, in his 20s, at AIIMS who received the jab after 4 pm, complained of palpitations and developed an allergic skin rash within 15-20 minutes after being inoculated and was admitted to the facility.
"He was immediately managed with appropriate treatment and he improved. He is stable. As a precautionary measure he has been admitted for overnight observation and his condition is being monitored.
"He is likely to be discharged in the morning," Guleria said.
One 'severe' and 51 'minor' cases of AEFI (adverse events following immunisation) were reported among healthcare workers who were administered the coronavirus vaccine in Delhi on the first day of the COVID-19 vaccination drive on Saturday, official figures showed.
Against a target of 8,117 health workers to be vaccinated on the first day of the drive in 11 districts of Delhi, a total of 4,319 were administered the vaccine, the figures showed.
Officials said a few cases of AEFI were observed in some people who were administered the vaccine.
"A few AEFI cases were reported but most were minor and the persons were normalised during observation period.
"Only one severe AEFI case was reported in South Delhi," said a top government official.
Eleven cases of "minor" AEFI were reported from south and southwest districts, showed official data.
The "minor" AEFI cases were reported from all districts except northeast and Shahdara districts, officials said.
Meanwhile in kolkata, within minutes of taking the vaccine at Dr BC Roy Hospital, a nurse started trembling, complained of uneasiness and fainted in the observation room.
She was rushed to nearby Nil Ratan Sircar Medical College and Hospital and admitted to the CCU.
"That's probably an allergic reaction. As of now, there is nothing to worry about her as this type of allergic reaction is common in many vaccinations," a senior health department official, who is also a doctor, told PTI.
"We have learnt that she has a history of being allergic to drugs. She is also a chronic asthma patient.
"In that way, this is normal though quite rare. We are checking whether this is related to the vaccination or not. Even if it is because of the inoculation then also there is nothing to worry about," he said.
Several medical tests are being conducted on the nurse.
"Her blood pressure and oxygen saturation levels are normal. However, she is kept on oxygen support as she is an asthma patient. Specialised doctors are attending to her," he said.
The health department is consulting vaccine expert Dr Shantunu Tripathy who was earlier associated with the School of Tropical Medicine.
Thirteen other AEFI cases were also reported from various parts of the state but those were not serious, officials said.
Out of the 14 AEFI cases, three are from Murshidabad district and two are from Kolkata.
"None of them is serious, except the staff nurse in Kolkata," an official said.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), any untoward medical occurrence which follows immunisation and does not necessarily have a causal relationship with the usage of the vaccine, is known as AEFI.
