Supreme Court: Won't cast doubts on Covid vaccine

The Supreme Court said on Friday that it won't cast doubts on vaccination against Covid-19 during a pandemic and insisted that its advantages when the world is on the throes of a pandemic far outweigh any disadvantages, but referred to the solicitor general a plea for a regime that would keep an eye on all adverse events post vaccination.

A bench led by Justice DY Chandrachud was reacting to a plea filed by a doctor on the need to have an active surveillance system that makes it mandatory to track every adverse event after immunisation. The SG will respond to the plea within two weeks.

The central government currently has a passive surveillance system under which patients and their families can complain about adverse events to the hospital or doctors administering the vaccines. It is left, however, to their discretion and is voluntary. According to Dr Ajay Gupta's plea, unofficial estimates suggest an "unbelievable" 900-odd deaths due to adverse effects following immunisation.