After Deepak Maravi, a 42-year-old volunteer from Bhopal passed away nine days after he participated in the phase 3 clinical trials for Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin, his wife Vaijayanti told The Quint that her husband died “because of the vaccine”.
“He used to go to work as usual. I came to know from the police that he got vaccinated on 12 December. He started feeling weak and hadn't left the house after that,” she said.
Maravi passed away on 21 December, and was called in for the second dose of Covaxin after his death.
She demanded punishment for the medical firm and adequate compensation. “My husband is no more. I am in trouble. We have to ask others for food. Nobody has come to help us or has asked how we are doing. Their work was done right after giving the vaccine.”
Bharat Biotech’s COVID-19 vaccine ‘Covaxin’, which is still undergoing Phase 3 clinical trials, was granted emergency approval by the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) on 3 January.
Bharat Biotech International Limited issued a statement on Saturday, 9 January, stating that as per the post mortem report by Gandhi Medical College, Bhopal, the probable cause of death of a volunteer enrolled in trials for the Covaxin vaccine was cardiorespiratory failure as a result of suspected poisoning.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)