Man Paralyzed After Needle Breaks, Stays In His Body While Getting COVID-19 Vaccine

A 22-year-old man in India has been paralyzed after a needle broke and remained inside his body as he was getting vaccinated against COVID-19.

The man, identified as Indresh Ahirwar, got jabbed at a vaccination camp in Lalitpur, a district in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, on Sept. 9. A few hours later, he developed fever and blistering in his hands. His family rushed him to a nearby hospital for treatment after his condition deteriorated, reported News 18.

His condition did not improve and after four days, he started feeling numb in the right hand. Doctors examined him and found a prick of a needle in his right hand. He had a CT scan, which eventually revealed a needle was stuck in his body. By the next day, Ahirwar could no longer feel his right hand and leg.

The man underwent surgery on Sept. 18, and the doctors were able to successfully remove the needle from his body. Unfortunately, the procedure did not give him much relief. His right hand and leg were still paralyzed and he was referred to another hospital in the state.

In June, a man was mistakenly given two doses of COVID-19 vaccine within five minutes at a vaccination camp in the same district, Latestly said in a report. According to the man, the nursing staff attending to him was so busy talking among themselves and ended up administering two doses of vaccine to him within the span of five minutes. He claimed that he felt uneasy and restless after returning home. The incident was reported to the local authorities.

India is seeing a dip in COVID-19 cases after witnessing a peak in April and May, during which the country reported close to 300,000 cases a day. During the second wave, India saw the daily demand for medical oxygen rising to 12 times what was needed pre-COVID-19 times.

Uttar Pradesh was one of the worst affected states in the country, reporting close to 40,000 new cases a day. Authorities stated on Sept. 10 that there were no active cases of the virus in 33 districts of Uttar Pradesh and 67 districts have not reported a single new case in the previous 24 hours.