According to officials, a 35-year-old nurse was rushed to the critical care unit (CCU) of a hospital in Kolkata after she fainted and lost consciousness within minutes of taking the Covid-19 jab on Saturday.
She, is currently stable, and a medical board of experts has been formed to find out why she fainted after taking the shot, a senior official said on Sunday.
The health department official, who is also a prominent doctor, said the experts are examining her condition as of now, and the analysis might take some time.
"She is is stable. We have formed a board of experts to take care of the treatment procedure. Let's see how quickly we can analyse the reason behind her illness and come up with a solution. As of now, she is responding well to the treatment," the official told PTI.
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The nurse is among the 15,707 beneficiaries who were innoculated across West Bengal during the nationwide vaccination drive.
The health department is also consulting vaccine expert Dr Shantunu Tripathy, who was earlier associated with School of Tropical Medicine, he said.
Asked if there was any underlying cause, the official said, "No one can say anything for sure as of now. Experts are examining her condition. We have found out that the woman suffers from chronic Asthma and is hypersensitive to a number of drugs."
The nurse started trembling, complained of uneasiness and fainted in the observation room, within minutes of taking the vaccine at Dr BC Roy Hospital. Following the reaction, she was rushed to nearby Nil Ratan Sircar Medical College and Hospital and admitted to the CCU.
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Apart from this, thirteen other 'Adverse Event Following Immunisation'(AEFI) cases were also reported from various parts of the state but those were not serious, officials added.
AEFI is any untoward medical occurrence following immunisation and might not have a relation with the vaccination process, officials said.
"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.
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.
With PTI Inputs
