Fully Vaccinated Man Dies of COVID-19 Five Months After Getting Second Dose

A 71-year-old man, fully vaccinated with the Covishield AstraZeneca vaccine, died after contracting COVID-19 on Sunday. The man had received his second shot of the vaccine around five months ago.

Doctors said the victim, hailing from the Indian city of Gurugram, tested COVID-19 positive on Nov. 3 and was admitted to the hospital the next day, reported The Times Of India. He is said to have contracted the infection from his family members.

While admitted, the patient had a high fever, cough, and breathing distress. He also had comorbidities such as hypertension and coronary artery disease.

He was given intravenous fluids, oxygen support, remdesivir, and other steroids. The elderly man was later intubated and put on a mechanical ventilator but his condition deteriorated. He soon suffered a cardiac arrest. The efforts to revive him ended in vain.

"He had taken his second dose of Covishield on June 21. Two of his family members had also tested positive with him on November 3. The others recovered at home, but the 71-year-old man had to be admitted to hospital because of old age and comorbidities," a senior doctor told The Times Of India.

The patient's death marks the first fatality linked to the infection in the city of Gurugram during the last two months. The last Covid-linked death was on Aug. 24, reports stated.

The city, which recorded 924 deaths till now, is currently witnessing a slight increase in the number of COVID-19 cases. According to Hindustan Times, doctors and experts attribute this to the laxity of COVID-19 norms and crowding during the festive season. According to data from the health department, in the past two weeks, the area reported over 110 cases.

India, which has so far administered more than one million COVID-19 jabs, has reported several deaths of fully-vaccinated people. According to figures released by the Indian government in September, five fully vaccinated people died of COVID-19 from March to June.

During the same period, another four patients were to be hospitalized following Adverse Events Following Immunization (AEFI). According to the Health Ministry, the data during the time period proved that while one vaccine dose alone is 96.6% effective in preventing COVID-19 deaths while two doses are 97.5% effective.