The Gujarat Congress has raised concerns over the deaths allegedly linked to the Covishield vaccine and demanded compensation for the families of those affected. The party accused the BJP-led central government of neglecting World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines regarding vaccine side effects. In response, doctors affiliated with the Gujarat BJP dismissed the allegations, citing a study conducted by an expert panel in the state. They argued that there is no direct correlation between the Covishield vaccine and adverse health effects such as heart attacks.
AstraZeneca acknowledges rare side effect
The controversy stemmed from AstraZeneca’s admission in a UK court regarding the rare side effect of blood clotting associated with its vaccine, known as Covishield in India. Despite this acknowledgement, BJP-affiliated doctors maintain that the risk is minimal.
Congress calls for accountability
Gujarat Congress President Shaktisinh Gohil criticised the government for failing to collect data on vaccine side effects as per WHO recommendations. He demanded transparency regarding vaccine pricing and urged companies to disclose any political contributions made to the BJP.
"Since the world did not have time to analyse the side-effects of vaccines at that time, WHO had said countries should keep a record of side-effects. Other countries followed this advisory and kept records," he said. "But, in our country, no such data was collected," Gohil claimed.
"So why does the BJP government not follow WHO's guidelines? Why no extra care about the side-effects of vaccines was taken and why no data was collected? Our government did not care about people's health," he said.
"This is criminal negligence. Rahul Gandhi had asked why the price of vaccines was high. So how much these companies donated to the BJP? These companies should disclose it and give it back. The government should use that money to give compensation to the kin of those who died due to the vaccine," Gohil added.
BJP defends vaccine safety
Dr. Dharmendra Gajjar, a representative of the Gujarat BJP’s Doctors Cell, rejected the Congress’s claims, emphasising that vaccines do not cause clotting as per ICMR findings.
"Congress is spreading myths. The ICMR published a report in November 2023 and declared that vaccines do not lead to clotting. AstraZeneca has also said the chances of clotting are 0.004 per cent, which is very low. Every vaccine has its own side effects. But, we also keep in mind the risk vs benefit ratio," he said.
He highlighted the importance of assessing the risk-benefit ratio and cautioned against politicising the issue.
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