Panel formed by Siddaramaiah finds no link between COVID-19 vaccines & Hassan cardiac-related deaths

The Print

19 hours ago

'The observational study conducted at Jayadeva Hospital, did not find any association between premature cardiovascular disease and a prior history of Covid 19 infection or covid Vaccination. Most studies/ reports published in (the) rest of (the) world also have not found any causal association between Covid vaccination and sudden cardiovascular events,' according to the report submitted to the government.
The expert team, constituted 14 February and headed by Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences and Research director Dr K.S.Ravindranath, has, in fact, stated the exact opposite that the vaccine has shown to be 'protective' against cardiac events.
Bengaluru: A Karnataka government-commissioned expert team has found no evidence to link Covid vaccine and the recent spate of cardiac-related deaths in Hassan district, about 200 km from Bengaluru, disputing the repeated claims being made by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.
The report goes on to add that covid vaccination has shown to be 'protective' against cardiac events.
Siddaramaiah has been under pressure from all quarters over mounting allegations of corruption, mal-administration and infighting in the Congress party, making it harder for him in the remaining three years in office.
The health crisis–first with the deaths of expectant mothers and then with cardiac-related fatalities–only added to his troubles.
Siddaramaiah took a position that blamed Covid vaccines, which was refuted by the larger medical community not just in India but also internationally. He even had a war of words with Biocon chief Kiran Mazumdar Shaw over the issue.
To suggest that these vaccines were 'hastily' approved is factually incorrect and contributes to public misinformation, she wrote on X.
She added that the vaccines had saved millions of lives. 'It is important to acknowledge the science and data-driven processes behind their development, rather than engage in retrospective blame,' Shaw posted.
The CM's hardened stance drew political criticism, especially by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The BJP has defended the Covid vaccines as the Narendra Modi government basked in credit for the quick development of the vaccines as well as distributing it several other countries at the time.
R.Ashoka, the leader of the opposition, hit out at the CM for spreading misinformation even though the state government is drafting a bill to curb fake news.
'Will you file a fake news case against CM Siddaramaiah, who spread false news claiming that heart attacks are caused by the hasty approval and administration of Covid vaccines?…' he posted. He added that Siddaramaiah himself had become the 'brand ambassador' of fake news.
Also Read: BJP calls Siddaramaiah 'anti-science' for linking cardiac-related deaths in Hassan to COVID vaccines
What panel said
The expert committee was tasked to conduct an observational pilot study on patients aged 45 yrs or younger, admitted to Jayadeva Hospital with coronary artery disease and assess their risk factor profile, including past history of Covid infection and vaccination.
This included all patients admitted to Jayadeva hospital between 1 April and 31 May.
Of the total of 251 patients studied, 87 were diabetic, 102 were hypertensive, 35 were having cholesterol disorder, 40 had family history of heart diseases, 111 were smokers, 77 patients did not have any of the conventional risk factors, according to the report.
Nineteen patients had a history of infection with Covid virus. And of this 19, 7 had diabetes, 7 had hypertension, 2 had family history, 8 had no risk factors 249 out of 251 patients gave a history of vaccination for covid infection. 53 received only 1 dose, 180 received 2 doses, 17 received all 3 doses of vaccine. 144 received vaccination with Covishield, 64 with Covaxin, 52 were unaware of which they had received.
The committee, in line with the larger Indian medical research on the topic so far, found that the key risk factors identified included past Covid hospitalization, family history of sudden death, binge drinking or recreational drug use, and vigorous physical activity within 48 hours before death.
'There is no single cause behind the observed rise in sudden cardiac deaths. Rather, it appears to be a multifactorial issue, with behavioral, genetic, and environmental risks. While in the immediate post covid phase, there is an increase in the incidence of sudden cardiovascular events due to a pro-inflammatory state, the same cannot be held to be true in the long term (>1 year),' the report finds.
It also said that current data does not support the belief that 'long covid' is responsible for the rise in sudden cardiovascular events among the young.
'Rather, a rise in the prevalence of the common risk factors that lead to CVD (e.g. HT, DM, smoking , dyslipidemia) is the best explanation for the rise in sudden cardiovascular events,' the report added.
(Edited by Tony Rai)
Also Read: 'Humiliated' by Siddaramaiah, senior police officer now has ministers persuading him to take back resignation