Man Dies 12 Hours After Receiving COVID-19 Vaccine, Family Alleges Medical Negligence

An Indian man died within 12 hours of receiving the first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine in the state of Haryana, which led his family to protest and attribute his death to medical negligence.

The 24-year-old man, identified only as Mohit, was taken to a hospital over complaints of experiencing breathing problems, The Times of India reported, citing the deceased man's father, Naresh Kumar.

He reportedly received the first dose of the coronavirus vaccine in Narwana, Jind, before the complaints.

The brand of the vaccine he received was not specified.

It was revealed that Mohit's oxygen saturation level was between 98% and 99%, which is within the range considered healthy, according to Narwana civil hospital medical officer Hardeep Kaur. Additionally, Mohit's blood pressure was also normal.

Despite the readings, Mohit was asked to remain in the hospital "for observation" as he was "suffering from a chest infection and some other respiratory issue," but his parents took him home instead, Kaur said.

However, Mohit's family claimed medical negligence was behind the man's death and demanded an inquiry into the incident. They protested Tuesday and blocked the Jind-Patiala-Delhi national highway in Narwana, according to police assistant superintendent Kuldeep Singh.

Authorities reportedly pacified Mohit's family, and they halted their protest half an hour after it began.

Police have since registered a Daily Diary Report over the matter and will take further action following an autopsy.

It was unclear if Mohit had any pre-existing conditions before his death.

A similar incident happened in November in the state of Madhya Pradesh when a 19-year-old man died 48 hours after he received his first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

The man, identified as Shubham Parmar, received his vaccine on the afternoon of Nov. 6. He was monitored by a health team for half an hour before returning home, but he complained of uneasiness and started vomiting the next morning.

Parmar was taken to a local hospital and was later transferred to Sehore district hospital, where he died on Nov. 8.

It was unclear if Parmar had any pre-existing health conditions before his death, the cause of which was to be determined pending an autopsy report conducted by the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in Bhopal.

India has reported a total of 34,808,886 COVID-19 cases and 480,592 deaths, data provided by Johns Hopkins University showed.