Epileptic Woman Falls Into Coma After Receiving COVID-19 Vaccine

A 23-year-old epileptic woman has slipped into a coma a day after she received a COVID-19 vaccine shot.

The woman, who lives in Wilson Garden in the Indian city of Bengaluru, was undergoing treatment for epilepsy and depression when she was administered her first dose of the coronavirus vaccine at a BBMP camp on June 28.

According to her cousin, the woman, whose identity was not revealed by authorities, was advised by a nurse at the vaccination site to skip her seizure medicine for two days following the jab.

“The next evening, she collapsed at home and fell unconscious,” the cousin added, according to The Times of India.

The woman was rushed to the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS) and was later transported to Sai Ambica Hospital in the Jayanagar neighborhood in India. She was placed in the ICU for two weeks before her family shifted her to the general ward due to financial difficulties.

Dr. K Shamanth, one of the doctors treating the 23-year-old, said the incident was not a case of an adverse event following immunization, noting that she may have been misguided into taking her medications.

Health experts for NIMHANS echoed Shamanth’s remarks, adding that the complications were due to her prematurely skipping anti-epileptic drugs. Bengaluru officials said they will investigate the case.

India has battled a devastating second wave of COVID-19 caused by the more infectious Delta variant, propelling the country’s daily new infections to 400,000. The COVID-19 wave left cities scrambling for medical supplies, including oxygen, hospital beds and morgues.

The debilitating second wave also claimed the lives of nearly 330 doctors, according to the Indian Medical Association (IMA). However, health experts believe the actual figures could be much higher.

“We only put out numbers after thoroughly verifying the details. Health care workers are always at the forefront, hence, more prone to contracting the disease," Dr. Rajan Sharma, former IMA president, said.

Many patients were turned away by doctors. The decomposing bodies of suspected COVID-19 victims also washed up on the banks of the Ganges River.

India has recorded 30.9 million cases and more than 411,000 deaths since the start of the pandemic. It is currently the second country with the most number of cases and deaths, behind only the United States, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.