New Delhi, Jan 19 (IANS): The Union Health Ministry on Tuesday clarified that deaths of two men in Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka following immunisation were found to be not related to the vaccination, while also touching upon the grave issue of vaccine hesitancy amongst healthcare workers.

A 52-year-old man from Uttar Pradesh's Moradabad district died due to cardiopulmonary disease a day after being vaccinated, while a 43-year-old resident of Karnataka's Bellary, died due to cardiopulmonary failure two days later.

"Both the death cases in Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh were found to be unrelated to the vaccination," Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said at a press conference.

The nation-wide vaccination drive had kick-started on January 16, and 4,54,049 people have been vaccinated till Tuesday morning.

Besides this, 580 adverse events following vaccination have been reported, out of which seven people were hospitalised. This has reportedly resulted in vaccine hesitancy amongst the healthcare workers.

"Vaccine hesitancy in health care workers must end. How will we fight the pandemic? Vaccine hesitancy must be extinguished, before the pandemic extinguishes us," said Niti Aayog Member V.K. Paul.

He assured that serious problems as of now have been found to be negligible, unfounded, and insignificant. Paul said that he took the vaccine on the first day of the drive, at AIIMS in Delhi and "I have zero side-effects".

"The world is clamouring for the vaccine. Here, In India, the country made the vaccine, got them to the doorstep, and still if we health care workers are not taking it, it is saddening. I would request them to accept it. In the few days, we aim to vaccinate the health care workers and we can start the non-Covid facilities."