BENGALURU: With 11 healthcare and frontline workers dying after the administration of Covishield vaccine in different parts of the country, which were attributed to cardiovascular issues or brain stroke by respective states, experts from Karnataka and across the country have sought thorough probes by the Union Health Ministry into these deaths. The experts sent a letter to the ministry on Sunday.
The deaths occurred in Karnataka, Kerala, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Gurugram, Odisha and Rajasthan between January 16 and 30. In some cases, the deaths occurred just a few hours after the vaccination, while others within five days.
The deceased were in the age group of 42-56, while one was 23 years old.
The experts said that though officials have not attributed the deaths to the vaccines, reports from district, state and national AEFI (Adverse Events Following Immunisation) committees have not been made public.Dr T Jacob John, retired professor and Head, Department of Clinical Virology, Christian Medical College, Vellore, one of the signatories of the letter, said, “It is a bit odd to have such a cluster of deaths in a short time after the vaccination. Even if the deaths are unrelated to the vaccine, it is still time-related. Therefore, it is the moral responsibility of the agency rolling out the vaccine to be fair to the families who died and for the public who have a hesitancy to take the vaccine by providing all the investigative details."
"All the details regarding the investigation of the case, like who is supervising, coordinating, and the results, should be provided. Silence will only add to problems. As the vaccines in India are not licensed and are being given on emergency-use authorisation, each death has to be explained thoroughly with transparency and completeness.”