Kochi: The parents of a 19-year-old student on Friday approached the Kerala High Court alleging that their daughter died due to the compulsory administration of the Covishield vaccine manufactured by the Serum Institute of India. They sought Rs 1 crore as compensation for the death of their only daughter.
In the petition, Sabu C. Thomas and his wife Jean George of Pathanamthitta submitted that their daughter Nova Sabu, an MA Literature student, was vaccinated with Covishiled from a private hospital in Kochi. On the very next day, she fell unwell.
Nova was taken to a hospital where she was given symptomatic treatment for headache and fever. She was treated in casualty with Dolo IV injection and Emeset 2ml injection and was discharged on the same day.
Then she was taken to another hospital with complaints of reduced responsiveness, tiredness, headache, and a history of vomiting. While at the hospital, she became unconscious and developed generalised convulsion. Then she was intubated and put on a ventilator. On August 12, 2021, she died and the postmortem report suggested that “the girl died of the intracerebral bleeding -decease of brain”, the petition said. She was tested negative for Covid.
The petitioners filed a complaint before the Human Rights Commission claiming compensation and based on that an inquiry was conducted by the District Medical Officer, Pathanamthitta.
It found that there is no available documentary evidence to suggest that Nova Sabu had any preceding neurological illness.
Her symptoms started after she has taken the first dose of the Covishield vaccine. After verifying the hospital records, the inquiry reveals that “Nova Sabu might have suffered from thrombocytopenia, thrombosis syndrome which is an immunogenic response to the Covishield vaccine, which is a rare condition which occurs following Covidshield vaccination. Studies from the UK suggest an incidence of 20.3 per million doses in people aged 18 to 49 years.”
The petitioner alleged that the death of their daughter was direct after effect by the administration of the Covishield Vaccine. Vaccination was made compulsory by the government and their daughter had no option but to book the available slot from the vaccination website.
They argued that the manufacturer of the vaccine, as well as the Government of India and the State, are jointly and severally liable to compensate the petitioners.
“The Union Government as well as the State Government, especially the Health and Family Welfare Department ought to have studied and understood the after-effects of the vaccine and should have issued warnings and guidelines regarding the fatal element of the vaccine administration. Instead, the Government has only encouraged its use by making it compulsory and also preventing the public by issuing general warnings against spreading any adverse comments/news regarding the use of vaccines,” the petition said.
The petitioners also sought to declare that their daughter died consequent to the complications of Covishield vaccination and the government and manufacturing company are responsible and liable to compensate them.
When the petition came up for hearing on Friday, Justice N Nagaresh sought the view of the central government on the petition.