“Deaths cannot be attributed to vaccination alone,” said the Supreme Court
New Delhi:
The Supreme Court on Friday said it could not question the country’s Covid vaccination program at this critical stage and could not pay the price with the laxity of not vaccinating its people.
The highest court said Lakh people and crores of people used their vaccine and even the World Health Organization (WHO) approved it and the whole world is getting the vaccine.
A bench of Judges DY Chandrachud and AS Bopanna asked plaintiffs Ajay Kumar Gupta and others to provide copies of the petition to the Solicitor General and seek his response.
“We have a system, guidelines for monitoring any adverse events after vaccination. There will always be opponents, but policy cannot be dictated by them,” the bench said. in the hearing.
“We have to see the benefit of the whole country. The world has witnessed an unprecedented pandemic, a pandemic we have never seen in our lives. We cannot doubt the vaccination program in this country. This critical period. It is of the highest national importance that everyone should be vaccinated. We cannot pay the price with the laxity of not vaccinating people,” the bench said.
The appeal by Ajay Kumar Gupta and others alleging that thousands of people have died as a result of Adverse Events After Immunization (AEFI) and seeking to guide the Center to make vaccines completely autonomous voluntarily, with prior consent of the person vaccinated and seeking a report from European countries where Covishield has ceased operations or its use has been restricted.
The chair says there will always be studies five to 10 years later on the vaccination program, but all they want is for people to stay safe and deaths to go down.
Senior campaigner Colin Gonsalves, who appeared for the petitioners, said that thousands of deaths and serious side effects after vaccination were reported in various newspapers.
“The deaths can’t just be from vaccination but there can be other reasons,” the bench said.
Colin Gonsalves said it is possible that vaccination was not the cause but these deaths need to be investigated whether a blood clot in the brain or heart from the vaccination led to a heart attack or stroke. brain or not.
He said that under the 2015 guidelines on Adverse Events After Immunization (AEFI), healthcare workers, such as ASHA and Anganwadi staff, must come and visit vaccinated people for a period of time. and, if there is a death, an autopsy should be performed according to a specific protocol.
He said these guidelines have now been revised in 2020 and only allow passive surveillance based on a complaint by a concerned person or family about any AEFI and that is why there are so many people. Unbelievable official death in the country.
“You can’t just say it’s unbelievable. We also have to look at the benefits of vaccination. We can’t just send a message across the board that there’s some problem with vaccination. World Health (WHO) approved it and tens of thousands of people are using it Immunization is happening all over the globe Even in developed countries like the United States vaccination programs are going on We can’t doubt it,” Justice Chandrachud said.
After reviewing the guidelines, the reserve said that the revised guidelines also provide for major and minor AEFI monitoring and monthly progress reports sought through peripheral paramedics, including ASHA staff.
Colin Gonsalves said that in developed countries what is happening is active surveillance of AEFI and data collection is done through designated staff who will follow the vaccinated person for a year.
“What we’re doing here is passive surveillance, whereby we’re waiting for family members to come in and make a complaint. Some doctors have raised serious concerns about deaths happening in the country and put question about this method,” he said.
The presiding officer said that they had something in mind and therefore the petition should be sent to the Solicitor General and listed the matter after two weeks.
The appeal through advocate Satya Mitra says that in light of the increasing number of deaths and serious side effects being reported following the use of the COVID-19 vaccine, it is looking for positive direction. extreme follow-up to record and investigate deaths/serious adverse events. within 30 days of vaccination.
It also sought to advertise widely in newspapers, television, radio and on social media that any person who died or suffered serious side effects within 30 days of the injection. may complain directly to officials and direct the authorities to mandate the recording of all reported cases of the payment of substantial compensations.
It has also sought to release information regarding the three phases of vaccine testing.
.
