Vaccinated American doctor dies from COVID after travelling to India

In March, Dr. Rajendra Kapila and his wife made the brave decision to travel to disaster-stricken India, so that they could take care of their family. The couple was planning to head back to the United States in mid-April, but unfortunately Dr. Kapila, who was 81-years old, was tested positive for COVID on 8 April. He died twenty days later in a hospital in Delhi.

A rare COVID death

According to his wife, Dr. Deepti Saxena-Kapila, the couple had received both theirPfizer dosesbefore going to India. She said:

For the last one year I have been working at a Covid-19 lab in New Jersey and had ensured a safe environment at home.

It is ironic that we came to India for two weeks and he contracted it here.

Although getting both jabs will not guarantee full protection against the virus, COVID deaths after vaccination are extremely rare. Dr. Kapila's ex wife, Dr. Bina Kapila, told ABC News that he had other underlying conditions including diabetes and heart complications. That coupled with COVID and old age proved to be lethal for the doctor.

Mourning his loss

Dr. Kapila was a well-known infectious disease specialist, and he was a founding member of the New Jersey Infectious Disease Society. He was a professor in Rutgers University for over 50 years, and the community has been devastated by his loss. Dr. Marc Klapholz, professor and chair of the department of medicine at Rutgers University said:

A genuine giant in the field of infectious diseases, Dr Kapila was recognised worldwide and sought out for his legendary knowledge and extraordinary clinical acumen in diagnosing and treating the most complex infectious diseases.

Dr. Kapila made countless contributions to the field of infectious diseases, including some of the earliest observations about AIDS (1983) and continued to publish throughout his long career.

He will be deeply and genuinely missed.