Doctors have ruled out the COVID-19 vaccine as the reason behind the death of a young woman doctor in Madurai on March 11. The Medical Administrator of Meenakshi Mission Hospital, Madurai Dr Kannan told TNM that the woman doctor had taken the COVID-19 vaccine on February 5, a month before she was brought to the hospital in an unconscious state.

Dr Hariharini, 26, died in Meenakshi Mission Hospital on March 11, after spending almost a week on the ventilator. She was admitted to the hospital on March 5 by her husband, who is also a doctor. According to reports, Hariharini had fever and body pain on March 5 and her husband had reportedly administered her with a painkiller injection (Diclofenac). However, within hours, she fell unconscious and had to be rushed to a nearby hospital for medical attention.

“She was brought on March 5 in a Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) state of below 3, which is unconscious. She was intubated outside and she was brought in a hypoxic state here. She was kept on ventilator support for 4-5 days,” Dr Kannan explained. He added that Dr Hariharini was taken to two other hospitals including a tertiary care hospital before she was brought to Meenakshi Mission hospital on March 5. "Since then she was in a hypoxic state and we couldn't revive her."

Hariharini had received COVID-19 vaccine on February 5. When asked if the aftereffects of the vaccine could have caused her to go into a serious state, Dr Kannan ruled out the possibility. “Following COVID-19 vaccination, this effect is not possible after this long (duration). We have given thousands of vaccines here in our hospital too. Following vaccination, within 24 hours only the issue can be connected to it,” he said, rubbishing the claims that the COVID-19 vaccine caused her death.

TNM also spoke to the inspector in Avaniyapuram police station, who said that the doctors had confirmed that COVID-19 vaccine is not the cause of her death. “On March 5, she was given an injection named diclofenac. The doctors told us that it could have caused her lungs to react severely. We are waiting for the autopsy report. We have not booked anyone for this because the victim’s family didn’t ask for a case,” he said.