Covid vaccine not direct cause of heart attacks: Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao

BENGALURU:State Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao clarified on Monday that the expert report states the COVID-19 vaccine is not a direct cause of all sudden deaths occurring in Hassan and other districts in the state.

He said that all sudden deaths occurring outside the hospital will henceforth be reported, which will provide more data for research on heart attacks.

Dr Ravindranath, who was heading the team that was conducting the investigation related to sudden cardiac deaths in Hassan and other districts, submitted the COVID-19 side effects report to the Health Minister today.

Responding to the media after receiving the report of the expert committee on Covid side effects in Bengaluru on Monday, Rao said that the number of heart attacks has increased by 4 to 5 percent after Covid. However, he clarified that the expert report has stated that the COVID-19 vaccine is not a direct cause of this.

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The expert report has stated that tobacco consumption is the main reason for the increase in heart attacks in 50 percent of cases. Apart from this, Diabetes, blood pressure, obesity have increased. Excessive use of steroids is also a reason.

“A report has also been prepared by comparing the medical records of Jayadeva Hospital before Covid. A study was conducted on 253 heart disease patients at Jayadeva Hospital. It has been found that the COVID-19 vaccine is not a direct cause of heart attacks. There has been a slight problem with the mRNA vaccine. But who in our country has not received this vaccine,” said Minister Dinesh Gundurao.

He further said that excessive time spent in front of the screen of mobile phones and systems has had an effect.

“Heart attacks have occurred during COVID. But experts have expressed their opinion in the report that the adverse effects of COVID are less after 3 years. Out of 253 cases, 19 were Covid positive cases. But 98 percent of the cases were Covid vaccinated. There is a possibility of blood vessel blockage within a year of COVID-19. But the expert report has said that its effect is not that great after three years,” said Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao.

In the wake of the expert report, Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao announced several important decisions to find a solution to the problem by detecting heart attacks at an early stage which includes decision to consider all sudden deaths outside government hospitals as notified diseases, postmortem examination is mandatory to obtain death certificates for all sudden deaths outside hospitals, plan to subject all 15-year-old school children to heart check-ups.

He said that information has been sent to the Education Department to include non-communicable diseases and heart circulars for school children in the textbook.

Puneeth Rajkumar Hriday Jyoti Yojana, which works like a Sanjeevini in cases of sudden heart attacks, has been extended to all taluk hospitals, he said.

Other key announcements include decision to place self-operated AED machines at bus stands and railway stations. Plan to provide CPR training to the public.

“At the government level, we have decided to conduct heart check-ups and A6 screening for government employees and contract employees. Private companies and entrepreneurs are advised to conduct annual health check-ups for workers in their companies,” he further added.

Karnataka’s Hassan district is in the grip of a worrying surge in heart attack-related deaths, with four more lives lost on June 30, taking the number of deaths to 22 in just 40 days.

The majority of the victims were young or middle-aged, raising serious concerns about an emerging health crisis in the region. Among the 22 deaths, five were between 19 and 25 years old, eight were aged between 25 and 45, and only a few were above 60. This disproportionate impact on the younger population has left both the medical community and the public rattled. (ANI)