BENGALURU, 3 JULY

Biocon founder and Executive Chairperson Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw on Thursday opposed Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's remarks linking Covid-19 vaccines with a spate of heart attack deaths in the state's Hassan district, saying such claims are "'factually incorrect" and "misleading".

Siddaramaiah has suggested that the recent heart attack deaths in Hassan district may be linked to 'hastily' approved Covid-19 vaccines.

In a social media post, Shaw said "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," Shaw said.

Meanwjile, study conducted by the AIIMS-Delhi in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has claimed that there was no link between Covid-19 vaccination and sudden cardiac arrests among young individuals.

A panel of doctors at a press conference in AIIMS said that the ongoing study has so far examined 300 cases of sudden death, particularly among people under the age of 40. Though all of them had received Covid-19 vaccine doses, preliminary findings suggest other health and lifestyle-related causes were more prominent reasons behind the attack.

The Chief Minister said on Tuesday that more than 20 people died of heart attack in Hassan district in the past month alone, and that the state government was taking the matter seriously.