Paralyzed Man Miraculously Starts Walking After Taking COVID-19 Vaccine

A 55-year-old paralyzed man in India claimed he was able to walk and also got his lost voice back after taking the COVID-19 vaccine.

The man, identified as Dularchand Munda living in the eastern state of Jharkhand, lost the ability to walk and move his hands four years ago in an accident. He also lost his voice at the time, NDTV reported Friday. Munda received his COVID-19 vaccine earlier this month following which he was able to move and speak, he claimed.

"Glad to have taken this vaccine. I can move my legs after taking the vaccine on Jan. 4," Munda told local media Friday. "My voice came back and my feet also moved," he said, adding that he was also able to walk, India Today reported.

The miraculous change in Munda's health after taking the Covishield vaccine shocked health officials. It remains unclear if he took the first or the second dose on Jan. 4.

Bokaro Civil Surgeon Dr. Jitendra Kumar said he was surprised by the change in Munda's health and asked a medical team to analyze the patient's medical history.

"Amazed to see this. But it needs to be ascertained by scientists. Had he recovered from a medical condition not more than some days old, it could be understood but recovering suddenly from a four-year-old medical condition after taking the vaccine is unbelievable," Kumar told NDTV.

Health officials also said that the matter has become a subject of research.

India’s vaccination program currently includes three vaccines – AstraZeneca’s Covishield, manufactured by the Serum Institute of India, Bharat Biotech's Covaxin and Russia's Sputnik V.

The country recently began its COVID-19 vaccine drive for the group of 15-18 years. A third booster dose is also being given for frontline workers as well as those above the age of 60 years with comorbidities. This comes amid an increase in the coronavirus cases in the country after the Omicron variant was found.

In the last 24 hours, India reported 268,833 fresh COVID-19 infections, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said early Saturday. The new cases reported are marginally higher than the 264,000 daily cases reported early Friday. A total of 6,041 Omicron cases are amongst all COVID-19 cases reported in the country so far. India also reported 402 new deaths, taking the total fatalities to 485,752.