Health worker at Delhi hospital suffers mild reaction post vaccination  

A healthcare staff at the Rajiv Gandhi Super Speciality Hospital in the national capital, Anivesh Kumar, suffered a mild reaction right after taking the jab of Covid vaccine on Saturday.

Anivesh Kumar, a nursing officer at the hospital, experienced suffocation followed by weakness in the body post the inoculation. His injection site also started to pain.

Five minutes after the vaccine was administered to him while he was in the observation room, he felt breathlessness and weakness in the limbs. "My arm (where the vaccine jab was given) also started to pain."

However, he recovered within 15 to 20 minutes and came outside the observation room.

"No medicine was given to me since I was back on my feet shortly. Right now, I'm only feeling a bit of weakness and pain in the arm," he said.

"I was told these are mild reactions which generally occur after getting vaccinated," he added.

Ajeet Jain, Medical Superintendent and Nodal officer for vaccination at the Rajiv Gandhi Super Speciality Hospital (RGSSH), said that the symptoms occurring in Kumar are normal and indicate that the vaccine is working.

"Minor Adverse Event Following Inoculation (AEFI) are very common to occur. It includes pain, swelling or redness at the site of injection. This is an indication as well to stay assured that the vaccine is working," he added.

Neeraj Nischal, Associate Professor, Department of Medicine, AIIMS Delhi, said that the side effects, also called the adverse events of a vaccine, are very common and indicative of the fact that it is actually working.

"Vaccines help develop immunity by imitating an infection forcing the immune system to produce T-lymphocytes and antibodies. The process can cause minor symptoms (adverse events) such as fever, swelling or soreness at the injection site, which are normal and should be expected as the body builds immunity," Nischal said.

RGSSH is one of the 81 sites for the launch of the Covid vaccination drive in Delhi. Nationally it is being conducted at nearly 3,000 centres.

The hospital is first administering the Serum Institute of India's Covid vaccine 'Covishield' to its healthcare staff.