Bengaluru, July 7 (IANS) Karnataka Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao on Monday said that there was no negative impact of Covid vaccines in the cases of sudden deaths or heart attack cases in the state.

“There is no reason to believe such claims. Global research is available, Indian research is available, and the committee appointed by the government has also conducted its own study. They found no connection between Covid vaccination and these sudden deaths,” Gundu Rao told the media at the Vidhana Soundha here after receiving the report of an investigation into sudden cardiovascular deaths and their possible association with Covid-19 infection and vaccination.

Asked about the increase in heart attack cases, specifically in Hassan district, he clarified that the situation there is separate. “A report on the Hassan district cases will be submitted on July 10. Once we receive the report, we will discuss it,” he added.

Addressing Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s earlier remarks linking the early rollout of the Covid vaccine to heart attack cases, the minister said: “The CM was specific. While commenting on the sudden deaths among young people due to heart attacks, he merely questioned whether there could be a connection between Covid or the Covid vaccine and such deaths.”

“Moreover, the issue is already in the public domain. The CM rightly raised the concern and called for a study in this regard,” he added.

“There is no panic among the public. We wanted the truth to come out, which is why we formed the committee. Otherwise, why form a committee at all? This has helped clarify things. We now understand the causes of the sudden deaths better. Our goal was to uncover the truth,” Gundu Rao said.

Explaining the background, he said that three months ago, he had referred the matter concerning the health impacts of Covid and the vaccine, especially as there was a noticeable increase in sudden deaths among younger people.

“We wanted proper research and analysis, so we requested a report. The committee was constituted under the chairmanship of Dr. K. S. Ravindranath, Director of Sri Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences and Research, Bengaluru, along with other experts from various centres,” he said.

The committee studied the issue and found a 4 to 5 per cent increase in deaths due to heart attacks when comparing the periods before and after Covid. However, this increase cannot be directly attributed to either the Covid infection or the vaccine, the minister clarified.

The increase was found to be due to multiple factors such as high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, and smoking. During the first six months to a year of the Covid period, there was a higher incidence of heart disease. But now, more than three years later, such cases have significantly reduced. “As far as the Covid vaccine is concerned, there is no negative impact,” he reiterated.

The committee made several recommendations. One key recommendation is that all sudden deaths of persons under the age of 45 years occurring outside hospitals should be officially reported, and an autopsy should be conducted for further analysis, he said.

Another major recommendation is early screening for heart disease. “We are proposing cardiac screening for 10th standard students who are 15 years of age. If there are signs of congenital or early onset heart disease, preventive measures can be taken,” he said.

Health screening will also be conducted for government employees, and private companies will be encouraged to arrange annual health checkups for their employees, he added.

“We can prevent heart attacks and heart disease by integrating topics related to lifestyle, processed food, physical activity, and screen time into the school curriculum. CPR training will also be included,” Gundu Rao said.

–IANS

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