HYDERABAD: A-55-year old Anganwadi worker from Mancherial district in Telangana who was immunised with the Covid-19 vaccine on January 19, died while undergoing treatment for some health complications at NIMS hospital in Hyderabad on Saturday night.
The anganwadi worker, Susheela, belonged to Kasipet village of Kasipet Mandal in Mancherial district.
A press release on the matter issued by office of the Director of Public Health and Family Welfare said that she complained of shortness of breath and giddiness on January 29 for which she was admitted to Medilife Hospital at Mancherial.
Later she was referred to NIMS hospital on January 30 around 6 pm.
Telangana health department officials speaking to The New Indian Express said that the Anganwadi worker had some underlying health conditions, including hypertension.
The state government has denied the allegations saying that the death is not related to vaccination but due to the underlying health problems the Anganwadi worker already was suffering from.
The press release by the Director of Public Health and Family Welfare said, "The cause of death is clearly indicative of underlying morbidities and not due to COVID vaccination. The death occurred due to cardio-respiratory arrest triggered by multiple morbidities such as Kyphoscoliosis with restricted lung disease, respiratory infection with type 2 respiratory failure, accelerated hypertension with left ventricular failure."
However, Susheela's family members have alleged that she died due to the vaccination. They said that even though Susheela had some health problems like high BP and respiratory issues, she was perfectly fine till the day she took vaccine but after that her health condition deteriorated. She suffered from fever, body pains and breathlessness.
Mallesh, a relative of the anganwadi worker speaking to media said that the government must take care in vaccinating people with comorbidities and demanded thorough investigation into the matter.
This is the third such incident of a government healthcare worker dying in Telangana following Covid-19 vaccination.
Previously, a 42-year-old man from Nirmal district working as an ambulance driver died within 18 hours of vaccination and a 48-year-old woman from Warangal working as an Anganwadi worker died within five days of vaccination.
The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare a week back had said that the death of the man from Nirmal and five other such deaths recorded across the country, were not "causally linked with Covid-19 vaccination".