COVID & Heart Attacks: Govt Has Commissioned Research To Investigate Connection, Says Health Minister

New Delhi: With an upsurge in COVID cases and the rising incidence of heart attacks, the government has commissioned research to find the link between the recent spate of heart attacks in young people with COVID, and the results are expected in two-three months. Addressing widespread concerns on reports of rising heart attacks, even in young and healthy people, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya told NDTV that the Health Ministry is investigating any possible link with COVID.

“We saw so many young artistes, athletes, sportspersons…they died on stage while performing. We all saw that, and reports started coming in from several places. We needed to investigate,” he was quoted as saying

On the recent spike in infections, the health minister told NDTV that Covid is a virus that keeps mutating, and 214 different variants have been found in India so far. He assured that the government is prepared to deal with the situation. ICU beds, oxygen supply, and other critical care arrangements are in place, he said, adding that there’s a weekly review of preparedness. It’s impossible to predict how COVID will behave, but sub-variants, which are driving the surge now, are not as dangerous as to cause catastrophe, the minister explained.

On a possible fourth wave of the COVID pandemic, the health minister told NDTV that there’s a need to be alert. The last COVID mutation was BF.7 sub-variant of Omicron, and now XBB1.16 sub-variant is causing the surge in infections, he said, adding that in the ministry’s experience, sub-variants are not too dangerous.

“Whenever a new variant is detected, we identify and isolate it in a lab. We then study the efficacy of vaccines on them. So far, our vaccines have worked against all present variants,” he was quoted as saying.

According to Mandaviya, the CoWIN platform has provided all vaccination data, which has helped greatly. The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has been studying the link between strokes and COVID for the last three-four months, and the study will be completed in the next two months, he said.