New Delhi: Days after a video circulating on social media claimed that a teenaged girl died in Mumbai due to COVID 19 vaccination, the Union Health Ministry on Tuesday denied the allegations and termed the video as fake.
"Several fake claims are being made in a video related to the efficacy of COVID 19 vaccines in children. A video circulating on social media is making misleading claims regarding the efficacy of COVID 19 vaccines in children. Claims made in the video are incorrect and misleading," the health ministry said.
The ministry further said that COVID vaccines are safe for children and have been tested for their efficacy.
"All vaccines administered in the country are safe. Vaccines administered in children have been recommended by experts," the ministry said.
Recently, a video went viral which attributed the death of a teenaged girl from Ghatkopar in Mumbai due to the vaccination. Interestingly, a state sub-committee of medical experts ruled out vaccination as the cause for the unfortunate death of the 15-year-old Mumbaikar.
"We request everyone to not fall prey to rumours or circulate them and participate in the vicious cycle of fake news," the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation said in a message.
When contacted over the development, Dr Suneela Garg, senior health expert and national president of Organised Medicine Academic Guild (OMAG) told ETV Bharat India's COVID vaccines are safe.
"Covaxin which is presently being administered among adolescent children is safe as the vaccine is developed using Whole-Virion Inactivated Vero Cell derived platform technology," said Dr Garg.
She emphasised that it is necessary to get a proper verbal autopsy to ascertain the cause of any death. According to WHO VA is a set of questions to identify COVID-19 deaths which occur outside of the healthcare settings.
Also read: India adminsters COVID-19 precaution dose to 50 lakh healthcare, frontline workers
India started vaccination for children between the age of 15-18 from 3 January. To date, as many as 3,68,55,963 adolescent children have been vaccinated with the first dose of the COVID 19 vaccine.
The health ministry has established all protocols related to the vaccination process where beneficiaries are to wait for half an hour when they will be monitored for the adverse event following immunization (AEFI) before their eligibility for the second dose of vaccine.
According to health ministry statistics, India has reported an overall 0.005 per cent AEFI from across the country.
