Viral messages claiming 26-year-old doctor Hari Harini from Tamil Nadu died after being administered a painkiller Diclofenac immediately following her vaccination for COVID-19 is misleading. It was found that while doctors do recommend not consuming Diclofenac to reduce pain post the COVID-19 vaccine, Dr. Harini was administered the same, a month after her vaccination and not immediately as the message claims.
Dr Hariharini, died in Meenakshi Mission Hospital on 11 March, after spending almost a week on the ventilator. She was admitted to the hospital on 5 March by her husband, who is also a doctor.
According to reports, Hariharini had fever and body pain on 5 March and her husband had reportedly administered her painkiller injection. However, she fell unconscious within hours and “She was brought on 5 March 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.
Dr. Hariharini’s death has led to the emergence of several posts on social media wherein people are sharing advisories about choosing paracetamol for pain relief instead of diclofenac after receiving the COVID-19 vaccine jab, whether Covishield or Covaxin. When asked if the COVID-19 vaccine had any role to play for the emergence of pain, Dr. Kannan said that the medical evaluations conducted so far do not suggest that the COVID-19 vaccine had any role to play. He added, “Her pain arose a month after the vaccine and thus, the vaccine has been ruled out.”
Diclofenac is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) which is useful for pain relief along with many other uses.
According to the Tamil Nadu health ministry, Dr. Hari Harini suffered an anaphylactic shock after receiving the diclofenac shot. Dr. Challani emphasised on doing a thorough check up before prescribing or administering this drug as it has side-effects. “After receiving the COVID-19 vaccine, diclofenac for pain relief is not recommended. There are a few studies being conducted but there is not conclusive data on the effect of the drug after receiving the vaccine. Its effect on COVID-19 is studied along with its family of other NSAID drugs”, said Dr. Challani. The family of NSAIDS are known to interact with the heart, Dr. Challani further explained. Dr Kannan reiterated what Dr. Challani said. “Diclofenac after the COVID-19 vaccine is not recommended. I suggest people to use paracetamol instead.”
No clear study has been made to explain the effect of NSAIDS after taking the COVID-19 vaccine. However doctors recommend, paracetamol over other painkillers as all of the others normally are known to have side effects.
