Bengaluru, July 4 Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, responding to objections raised by Biocon chief Kiran Mazumdar Shaw over his statement on Covid vaccines causing heart attacks in the state, on Friday, remarked that seeking clarity does not amount to spreading misinformation.
Taking to social media site X, Siddaramaiah, defending his statement on linking sudden heart attack deaths in Hassan to a "hasty" Covid vaccine rollout, said: "As Chief Minister, I have a duty to respond to the genuine concerns of people who have lost loved ones unexpectedly. When parents lose their young children or families lose breadwinners without warning, seeking clarity is not misinformation; it is an act of governance rooted in empathy."
While Covid vaccines may have saved many lives, globally, several studies and even admissions by manufacturers have acknowledged rare but serious adverse events, including cardiac issues, the CM noted.
"Scientific caution is not anti-science. Many peer-reviewed studies (such as Nature, Circulation, Journal of the American College of Cardiology) have discussed myocarditis and cardiac arrest risk, particularly among young adults post-vaccination. Publicly funded stakeholders must acknowledge both the benefits and the potential risks without fear or favour," he said.
"When I said ‘hastily’, it reflects the unprecedented speed of emergency rollouts globally without complete long-term data, acknowledged even by WHO and global regulatory agencies, who termed it a ‘calculated risk’ during a pandemic. Haste is not a sin when saving lives, but acknowledging potential unintended consequences is wisdom," the CM clarified.
Seeking answers is not retrospective blame. It is the duty of a government that values every life. The governments and other responsible stakeholders should find the truth, act on it, and protect our people with transparency and care, he said.
Siddaramaiah, reacting to the recent spike in sudden deaths due to heart attacks in Hassan district, said on July 1 that the hasty approval and distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine to the public could also be a possible reason for these deaths.
"In the past month alone, in just one district of Hassan, more than 20 people have died due to heart attacks. The government is taking this matter very seriously," he had said.
"It cannot be denied that the hasty approval and distribution of the Covid vaccine to the public could also be a reason for these deaths, as several studies worldwide have recently indicated that Covid vaccines could be a cause for the increasing number of heart attacks," CM Siddaramaiah had stated.
Responding to this, Kiran Mazumdar Shaw stated that "Covid-19 vaccines developed in India were approved under the Emergency Use Authorisation framework, following rigorous protocols aligned with global standards for safety and efficacy. To suggest that these vaccines were ‘hastily’ approved is factually incorrect and contributes to public misinformation".
These vaccines have saved millions of lives and, like all vaccines, may cause side effects in a very small number of individuals. It is important to acknowledge the science and data-driven processes behind their development, rather than engage in retrospective blame, she stated.
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