Health experts have written to the Centre demanding an “urgent investigation” into the deaths and serious adverse events following the administration of Covid-19 vaccine. They also raised concerns over the possibility of blood clots among beneficiaries post the inoculation.

“We believe that due to the possible linkages of vaccination and blood clotting, all these deaths and adverse events should be reviewed together for a possible causal relationship with the vaccine,” experts said in their letter to the central government.

Explaining what could have led to the death of people after vaccination, experts said in the letter, “We raise one possibility: human cells bearing SARS-CoV-2 spikes displayed on the surface are for the ACE 2 receptors, like the virus itself. The event cascade leading to clotting is a part of the pathogenesis of the virus-human interactions. We suggest that there is a possibility of this being enacted by some vaccines.”

“Reports of other serious AEFI [Adverse event following immunization] including neurological symptoms, hemiplegia and Guillain-Barre syndrome also need to be investigated,” the letter said.

“As the vaccination drive has been expanded to include persons over 60 years and persons above 45 years with specified morbidities, it is all the more important to investigate any possibilities of the Covid-19 vaccines triggering serious AEFI in people with certain medical conditions, who are the very people in need of vaccination. Could they be ‘predisposed’ to aggravation of their basic condition?” the letter read.

The letter further said, “There are gaps in AEFI investigations at the local level, affecting the quality of evidence submitted to State and National AEFI Committees who depend on these findings for making causality assessments.”

“The National AEFI Committee also has a critical role in assessing cases that present as a cluster and to explore potential common pathways,” it said.

The experts also noted that “the government has stopped sharing any details of AEFIs after February 26, 2021” and that it has also “not met obligations”.

“Lakhs of people in India are being administered the Covid-19 vaccines every day in the confidence that the vaccine will protect them against severe disease and death. The vaccine programme owes them complete information on the vaccines, a vaccination protocol that minimises the risk of harm, and an assurance of a thorough and transparent investigation of injuries and death following immunisation. They are also owed medical care, and compensation for harm suffered post-vaccination. The government has not met these obligations,” the letter said.

Therefore, “The government must immediately undertake a complete, time-bound and transparent investigation of all deaths and other serious adverse events following vaccination with the Covid-19 vaccine,” the letter said.

‘234 HOSPITALISATIONS, 71 DEATHS REPORTED POST VACCINATION’

Sources in the government said 234 hospitalisations and 71 deaths have been reported after the administration of vaccination so far.

“The government is still in the process of establishing a link between the deaths and the vaccine. It could or could not be linked,” sources said.

Sources also said, “No blood clots were seen in any of the vaccine recipients.”