New Delhi: As on January 30, a total of 70,102 cases of Adverse Event Following Immunisation (AEFI) and 1,013 deaths were reported in India. This information was given Friday by the government in the Parliament.
In a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha, Union Minister of State for Health Bharati Pravin Pawar said the operational guidelines for Covid-19 vaccination provide guidance on classification, prevention, reporting and management of the aspects of AEFI. Frequent communication to the states and Union territories in the form of letters, advisories (like inclusion of obstetricians or gynaecologists in the state or district AEFI committees) were issued to improve the reporting of minor, severe and serious cases of AEFI.
“As on 30th January 2022, a total of 70,102 cases (Covishield – 63,315, Covaxin – 6,757 and Sputnik – 30) of Adverse Events Following Immunisation (AEFIs) and 1,013 cases of death (Covishield – 921, Covaxin – 92, and Sputnik ‘Nil’) were reported,” Pawar said.
The number of AEFI cases reported in developed countries is more as self-reporting of adverse drug reactions and using internet for reporting AEFI online is well established in these countries, Pawar added. AEFI is monitored through a well-structured and robust surveillance system in India, the minister said.
Causality assessment of all serious and severe AEFI cases is done by the designated AEFI committee to determine if it is related to the vaccine or the vaccination process.
The National Adverse Event Following Immunisation (AEFI) Committee monitors vaccine safety and recommends action to improve AEFI surveillance. There is no recommendation to make reporting of AEFI cases mandatory for the healthcare service providers, Pawar said.
Periodic letters and monthly state-specific presentations on performance of AEFI surveillance with action points is also shared with the states, which have been asked to regularly sensitise the healthcare service providers, including the private healthcare service providers, to report AEFI following vaccination, she said.