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India Today
04-07-2025
- Health
- India Today
Scientifically flawed to link Covid vaccines to sudden deaths: Top immunologist
After Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah suggested a possible link between sudden heart attack deaths in Hassan district and the Covid-19 vaccine, Dr. Vineeta Bal, immunologist and former scientist at the National Institute of Immunology, said that available data does not show any deaths directly caused by the Covid Bal acknowledged that rare cases of anaphylactic shock, a severe allergic reaction, can occur after vaccination, but such an occurrence is not unique to Covid vaccines. 'They can happen with any vaccine, even in the paediatric population,' she told EVIDENCE LINKING VACCINES TO HEART ATTACKS As speculation grows around sudden cardiac deaths and their possible association with vaccination, Dr. Bal made it clear: 'Sudden heart attack deaths being loosely linked to Covid-19 vaccines doesn't have any scientific evidence.'She added that most people in India have not taken Covid booster doses in the last three years, making a direct link to recent incidents medically implausible. "So connecting today's deaths to vaccines taken long ago is scientifically flawed,' she ATTACKS ON THE RISE, BUT WHY?According to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), India recorded a 12.5% increase in heart attack deaths in 2022. The NCRB's report, Accidental Deaths and Suicides in India, revealed that 32,457 individuals died of heart attacks in 2022, up from 28,413 the previous spike follows relatively stable figures in 2020 (28,579 deaths) and 2021 (28,413 deaths), pointing to a sharp recent Bal stressed the need for context: 'We need baseline data from before 2020 - age, socioeconomic conditions, health status - and compare it with current figures. Only then can we say if deaths have risen.'LIMITATIONS IN VACCINE SIDE-EFFECT REPORTINGIndia does have a system for tracking Adverse Events Following Immunization (AEFI). Before Covid, this was focused on childhood adult vaccinations began, the government developed a reporting system for Covid vaccine side effects, including deaths, but the infrastructure took time to build and remains incomplete and underdeveloped. India does have a system for tracking Adverse Events Following Immunization. () India also introduced self-reporting mechanisms, allowing citizens to log symptoms like fever or breathlessness. 'It was a step forward, but the system is still far from perfect. Our data is not as strong as what you might find in the US or Europe,' said Dr. DOESN'T MEAN CAUSATIONadvertisementReports of healthy individuals dying after vaccination appears alarming, but Dr. Bal believes this could reflect improved health tracking rather than an actual increase in deaths.'You can't confidently link a current heart attack to a vaccine taken three years ago. That's not how causality works in science,' she if more deaths are occurring, she added, vaccines could be one among many possible causes: 'Maybe 30 or 40 causes. But you can't isolate one without evidence.'MYOCARDITIS: A RARE, MILD SIDE EFFECTIn very rare cases, especially among young men, Covid-19 vaccines could cause myocarditis, or inflammation of the heart muscle. However, these cases are usually mild and extremely experts maintain that for the vast majority, Covid-19 vaccines are safe and effective in preventing severe Union Health Ministry recently issued a statement studies the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and the National Centre for Disease Control(NCDC) affirm that Covid-19 vaccines in India are safe and effective, with extremely rare instances of serious side effects. "Sudden cardiac deaths can result from a wide range of factors, including genetics, lifestyle, pre-existing conditions, and post-Covid complications," the statement Serum Institute of India (SII), which manufactured Covishield, also reaffirmed the safety of its vaccine.- EndsMust Watch
The Hindu
21-04-2025
- Health
- The Hindu
Supreme Court asks man to file suit for damages after he claims disability post COVID-19 first dose
The Supreme Court on Monday (April 21, 2025) told a petitioner, who allegedly suffered disability due to the side-effects of COVID-19 vaccine's first dose, to file a suit for damages instead of pursuing his plea. A Bench of Justices B.R. Gavai and Augustine George Masih made the observation while hearing the plea for a direction to lay down appropriate guidelines for an effective resolution of side effects following immunisation (AEFI) with specific reference to COVID-19 vaccination. 'If you keep your petition pending here, nothing will happen for ten years. At least if you file a suit, you will get some quick relief,' the Bench said. The petitioner's counsel said the man was suffering from the adverse effects of immunisation after taking the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine as he developed 100% lower limb disability. 'How can a writ petition be filed for that? File a suit for damages,' Justice Gavai said. The counsel said there were two separate petitions raising a similar issue pending in the apex court and the coordinate Benches had issued notice on them. If the petitioner wanted, the court said, it would tag his plea with the pending petitions. The Bench said the plea might be pending in the apex court for long and for 10 years, it might not see the light of the day. The counsel requested the Bench to grant him a week's time to discuss it with his client. 'At least if a suit is filed, within one year or two years or three years, you will get some relief,' the Bench observed. The matter was then posted after a week. The plea sought a direction to the Centre and the manufacturer of Covishield vaccine, Serum Institute of India, to ensure the petitioner was able to live with dignity as a physically disabled person. It also sought a direction to them to reimburse his medical expenses and take responsibility for his future medical expenses for the treatment of his physical disability after being administered the first dose of the vaccine. Aside from these, the plea sought a direction to grant compensation to the petitioner for his physical disability if his condition was found to be untreatable.
