Bengaluru: 

A 10-member committee was formed in February following an instruction from Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to Chief Secretary Shalini Rajaneesh. The CM's instruction came after the state, over the last 3-4 years, witnessed the sudden deaths of many youngsters and middle-aged persons with no medical condition. A letter to the CM by senior journalist Rajaram Tallur seeking to find a correlation between these deaths and the Covid-19 vaccine also prompted the action.

Since its formation, the committee has met only once in April, even though the incidents of sudden deaths have continued in the state. The death of Rakesh Poojary, a 34-year-old comedian, is the latest addition to this list. Rakesh, who had no medical history, died after he collapsed while dancing at a friend's mehandi programme. His death was attributed to low blood pressure.

The expert panel formed by the Karnataka government to study the possible correlation between the increasing number of sudden deaths, especially of youngsters and its correlation with the Covid-19 vaccine is expected to submit its report in three months. According to a panel member who refused to be named, the committee has requested data from the government concerning deaths over the last three months, including information on prior Covid-19 infection and vaccination status. The panel intends to analyse this data to determine if there is any correlation between deaths among young people and Covid-19 or its vaccines, or if these are isolated occurrences.

Dr K S Ravindranath, director of Jayadeva Heart Institute, who is heading the panel, confirmed that case details of individuals who have passed away in the preceding three months have been requested.

He said that while current information does not suggest a correlation, a thorough review of all deaths will be conducted to ascertain any potential findings. He reiterated the three-month timeline for the report submission.

Health Secretary Harsh Gupta emphasised the government's concern regarding these sudden deaths in young people and assured that the committee is working in a time-bound manner.

The expert panel comprises directors from the Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Chest Diseases and NCIDR-ICMR, as well as heads of departments from various prominent hospitals, including NIMHANS, St John’s Hospital, BMCRI, and Manipal Hospital. Additionally, Associate and Assistant Professors from the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at NIMHANS have been included as members recently by the State Government.

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