Siddaramaiah flags possible Covid vaccine link in Hassan's heart attack deaths

India Today

2 days ago

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said the government has taken serious note of the alarming rise in heart attack-related deaths in Hassan district in the past month.In a post on X, Siddaramaiah announced that a committee headed by Dr. Ravindranath, Director of Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences, has been tasked with investigating the cause of these deaths.The panel has been asked to submit a report within 10 days. He said the same committee was earlier asked to study whether sudden deaths among young people in the state were linked to Covid vaccines or any other health factors.advertisement
'It cannot be denied that the hasty approval and distribution of the Covid vaccine could also be a reason for these deaths, as several studies worldwide have recently indicated,' Siddaramaiah wrote.He also hit out at the BJP, accusing it of using the issue for political gains instead of reflecting on its own decisions.The statement comes amid rising panic in Hassan, where 22 people have died of cardiac arrest in the last 40 days, including four deaths reported on June 30 alone.Among the four were a 50-year-old woman who collapsed after feeling fatigued, a 58-year-old college lecturer who died while having tea, a 57-year-old D-group employee who passed away after being hospitalised for chest pain, and a 63-year-old man who collapsed after chest discomfort.What has alarmed authorities is that the deaths are not confined to the elderly. Of the 22 deaths, five were between 19 and 25 years old, and eight were between 25 and 45. The remaining victims were between 45 and 60, and some above 60.advertisementThe sharp rise in cases has led to an 8 per cent surge in patient footfall at Jayadeva Hospital in Bengaluru over the past two weeks, particularly from Hassan and surrounding districts. Doctors say many are coming in for precautionary check-ups amid growing concerns.According to the District Health and Family Welfare Department, Hassan has recorded 507 heart attack cases in the past two years, with 190 fatalities. However, this sudden cluster of deaths among younger people has triggered fresh alarm.The spate of deaths has also coincided with other cardiac-related fatalities reported in recent weeks, including the death of actor and model Shefali Jariwala, 42, who died of a heart attack on June 27. A 25-year-old man collapsed during a wedding ritual in Karnataka, a 28-year-old bodybuilder died while working out at a gym, a 29-year-old dentist died after running a marathon in Goa, and a 38-year-old gym trainer died of cardiac arrest.Siddaramaiah urged people not to ignore symptoms like chest pain or breathing difficulty and asked them to visit nearby health centres immediately. He said the government remains committed to protecting public health and has already implemented schemes like Hridaya Jyothi and Gruha Arogya to monitor cardiac health.- Ends
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