Cardiologists divided on side-effects & corelation; await more data
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United News of India
an hour ago
- United News of India
Covid vaccine safe for heart, says Health Ministry citing AIIMS, ICMR studies
New Delhi, July 2 (UNI) A day after Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah linked heart-related deaths in Hassan district to Covid vaccine, the Union Health Ministry today rebut his claims saying that extensive studies by ICMR and AIIMS have conclusively found no such connections. Siddaramaiah had on Tuesday said "hasty approval and distribution" of the Covid vaccine to the public could also be a reason for these deaths and urged everyone to visit the nearest health centre immediately for a check-up if they have symptoms such as chest pain or difficulty breathing, and not to ignore these signs. However, the Ministry trashed his observation, saying that the matter of sudden unexplained deaths has been investigated through several agencies in the country and these studies have conclusively established that there is no direct link between Covid-19 vaccination and reports of sudden deaths. The Ministry cited studies by the ICMR and National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) saying that they have affirmed 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 Ministry said in a statement. The ICMR and NCDC have been working together to understand the causes behind sudden unexplained deaths, especially in young adults between the ages of 18 and 45 years. To explore this, two complementary studies were undertaken using different research approaches -- one based on past data and another involving real-time investigation. The first study was conducted by ICMR's National Institute of Epidemiology (NIE) was titled "Factors associated with unexplained sudden deaths among adults aged 18-45 years in India - a multi-centric matched case control study," from May to August 2023 across 47 tertiary care hospitals in 19 states and Union territories, the statement said. It looked at individuals who appeared to be healthy but died suddenly between October 2021 and March 2023. The findings have conclusively showed that Covid-19 vaccination does not increase the risk of unexplained sudden deaths in young adults. The second study titled "Establishing the cause in sudden unexplained deaths in young" is currently being conducted by the AIIMS, Delhi. This is a prospective study aimed at determining the common causes of sudden deaths in young adults. 'Early analysis of data from the study indicates that heart attacks or myocardial infarction (MI) continue to be the leading cause of sudden death in this age group,' the statement said. Importantly, no major changes in the pattern of causes have been observed when compared with previous years. In majority of the unexplained death cases, genetic mutations have been identified as a possible cause of these deaths. The final results will be shared once the study is complete. Together, these two studies offer a more comprehensive understanding of sudden unexplained deaths in young adults in India. It has also been found that Covid-19 vaccination does not appear to increase the risk, whereas, the role of underlying health issues, genetic predisposition and risky lifestyle choices does play a role in unexplained sudden deaths, the statement said. Without naming the State and Karnataka Chief Minister's statement on doubting vaccine's efficiency, the statement said 'Scientific experts have reiterated that statements linking COVID vaccination to sudden deaths are false and misleading, and are not supported by scientific consensus. 'Speculative claims without conclusive evidence risk undermining public confidence in vaccines, which have played a crucial role in saving millions of lives during the pandemic. Such unfounded reports and claims could strongly contribute to vaccine hesitancy in the country, thereby adversely impacting public health.' The Karnataka chief minister had said more than 20 people have died due to heart attacks in the past month alone in just one district of Hassan. In a post on X, he wrote: "The government is taking this matter very seriously. To identify the exact cause of these series of deaths and to find solutions, a committee of experts has been formed under the leadership of Dr Ravindranath, Director of Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences and Research, and they have been instructed to submit a study report within 10 days.' UNI AJ GNK 1310
NDTV
2 hours ago
- NDTV
Delhi Man Says "Forced To Sell Range Rover" For Peanuts Due To 10-Year Rule
New Delhi: A Delhi man was forced to sell his luxury SUV due to the government's newly enforced "end of life" (EoL) vehicle policy in the national capital. Ritesh Gandotra, the owner of an 8-year-old diesel Range Rover car, said the vehicle was parked for two years during the Covid lockdown and has over two lakh km of potential life left. On X, Mr Gandotra said that his premium car was a well-maintained vehicle with just 74,000 km on the odometer. Now, he is forced to sell his vehicle, which he bought for Rs 55 lakh in 2018, at a throwaway price due to the diesel ban. He wrote, "My car is in its 8th year, a diesel vehicle, meticulously maintained, with just 74,000 km on the odo. It spent two years parked during Covid and easily has over 2 lakh km of life left. But thanks to the 10-year diesel ban in NCR, I'm now forced to sell it and that too to buyers outside NCR, offering throwaway prices." The new vehicle in the same segment now comes with a steep cost, he said. Mr Gandotra wrote, "To make it worse, buying a new one comes with 45% GST + cess. This isn't a green policy. It's a penalty on responsible ownership and common sense." My car is in its 8th year — a diesel vehicle, meticulously maintained, just 74,000 km on the odo. It spent two years parked during Covid and easily has over 2 lakh km of life left. But thanks to the 10-year diesel ban in NCR, I'm now forced to sell it — and that too to buyers… — Ritesh G (@Ritesh_Gandotra) July 1, 2025 Many social media users called the policy "unfair" and urged the authorities to adopt a more practical policy instead of blanket age limits. One person commented, "I would like PM Modi ji to personally look into the public plight. This rule of banning old cars in Delhi really needs some changes. No one seems happy there n even outside. Personally, I too feel it is bad unless govt does something like giving good money for old cars or less or no taxes for old car owners who want to buy a new car. Something should be done." I will like @narendramodi ji to personally look into public plight.. This rule of banning old cars in Delhi really needs some changes.. No one seems happy there n even outside.. Personally I too feel it is bad unless govt does something like giving good money for old car or less… — Crime Master Gogo (PARODY) ???????? (@vipul2777) July 1, 2025 Another wrote, "Instead of enforcing a blanket age limit, a fitness or emission test-based model (like in Europe) could better balance the environment and fairness." Instead of enforcing a blanket age limit, a fitness or emission test-based model (like in Europe) could better balance the environment and fairness... — Choice! (@ChoiceQuotient) July 1, 2025 "That's basically a cartel forcing you to purchase a new vehicle unnecessarily so that they earn more taxes. A very sly but lazy policy to boost tax collection by forced sale of new vehicles," wrote the next. That's basically a cartel forcing you to purchase a new vehicle unnecessarily so that they earn more taxes. A very sly but lazy policy to boost tax collection by forced sale of new vehicles. — Nomad9 (@hamza_mshaikh) July 2, 2025 The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) announced a ban on refuelling diesel vehicles older than 10 years and petrol vehicles older than 15 years, effective from July 1, even if they pass fitness tests. Automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras have been installed in more than 350 Delhi fuel stations to identify non-compliant cars instantly. According to CAQM, around 62 lakh vehicles were EOL, comprising 41 lakh two-wheelers and 18 lakh four-wheelers.
Hindustan Times
2 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Explained: Sudden deaths due to Covid vaccine? Here's what medical evidence cited by govt actually says
Amid recent cases and viral videos of young people suddenly collapsing and dying — sometimes at a wedding, another time at the gym or on a cricket pitch — the government of India has stressed there's no link to the sudden cardiac death with Covid-19 vaccines. The Covid pandemic raised anxieties among people, and fueled theories about the vaccination too. (Reuters) In a PIB press release, the central government cited two scientific studies to make this assertion on Wednesday. We sought to understand and distil what the evidence cited by the government says. The government on Wednesday said the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) have been working together on finding out whether the sudden cardiac-arrest deaths are linked to Covid vaccines, as suspected by a section of people. A study by the ICMR's National Institute of Epidemiology (NIE) — titled 'Factors associated with unexplained sudden deaths among adults aged 18-45 years in India: A multicentric matched case-control study' — was done from May to August 2023. The second is an ongoing study by the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi. While this one is not yet complete, the government says early analysis of the data agrees that the vaccines are not the cause for these sudden deaths. To understand the findings, let's focus on the first study, which is complete and published. Let's call that the 'ICMR study'. What did the study find about Covid 'link'? It said that patients who suffered unexplained deaths were four times more likely to have been hospitalised in the past for Covid, than the general population. This is not particularly surprising. Because we know that Covid, as a disease, has long-term impact, especially if you could not recover at home and were hospitalised with a severe infection of the coronavirus. However, notably, this is about Covid infection and hospitalisation, and not about the vaccine. In fact, the study found that those who took the vaccine were less likely to die suddenly. Primarily because, if you got the vaccine, the effect of Covid on you would be less severe anyway. 'We found no evidence of a positive association of Covid-19 vaccination with unexplained sudden death among young adults. On the contrary, the present study documents that the vaccination indeed reduced the risk of unexplained sudden death,' the study said. What's causing the sudden deaths then? The ICMR study found that a family history of sudden death was almost three times more likely to be associated with unexplained sudden deaths. Lifestyle factors, such as current smoking status, alcohol use frequency, recent binge drinking, recreational drug/substance use and vigorous-intensity activity, were also among causes. In fact, as compared to non-drinkers, the more the frequency of alcohol use, the higher were the odds for unexplained sudden death. Timing was key too. Binge drinking or strenuous physical activity in the last 48 hours was seen as a particular factor. The study acknowledged that there is an increased risk of cardiovascular (heart-related) complications if you were infected by the coronavirus. But studies have also documented that the vaccination reduces the risk of severe Covid-19. So, simply put, the vaccine reduces your chances of being hospitalised, in case you are infected by the virus. That, then, reduces the chances of heart-related complications later; and thus reduces the chances of death. What was checked by the ICMR study? The ICMR study on the anecdotal cases of such deaths was conducted across 47 tertiary care hospitals in 19 states or UTs. Tertiary care hospitals are usually specialised hospitals, where the most complicated cases are treated. It covered more than 700 sudden-death cases between October 2021 and March 2023, of individuals aged 18-45 who appeared to be healthy but died of unexplained reasons between October 2021 and March 2023. Data was collected on these people's Covid history, including infection, hospitalisation and vaccinations, any family history of sudden deaths, smoking, drug use, drinking habits, and intense physical activity two days before death, among other related factors. The study went by the WHO standards of sample selection. It was also approved by the ethics committees of the ICMR-National Institute of Epidemiology and all the participating hospitals. What are the big takeaways, in distilled terms? The ICMR study concluded that the vaccination was not associated with an increased risk of unexplained sudden death among young adults. At the same time, hospitalisation for Covid-19 could be a factor, because it is indeed a serious infection that can increase the risk of heart disease. The vaccine actually reduces this risk. Lifestyle behaviours were the major risk factors. So, can the vaccines positively stop sudden deaths? That needs further examination, says the study. But did the vaccines cause these deaths? The study gives a straight answer: No. It says that if at all the vaccines had any role, it was in fact in reducing the chances of such deaths. The government, in its press release on Wednesday, said, 'Scientific experts have reiterated that statements linking Covid vaccination to sudden deaths are false and misleading... Speculative claims without conclusive evidence risk undermining public confidence in vaccines, which have played a crucial role in saving millions of lives during the pandemic. Such unfounded reports and claims could strongly contribute to vaccine hesitancy in the country, thereby adversely impacting public health.'
