Ex-CM Oommen Chandy was not given Covid shot fearing side effects, says son Chandy Oommen

Kottayam: Congress MLA Chandy Oommen on Wednesday said his father and former Kerala Chief Minister late Oommen Chandy was not administered the Covid-19 vaccine out of apprehensions regarding its potential side effects.

Chandy Oommen cited the latest media reports about the side effects of the Covishield vaccine to support the decision made by his family not to vaccinate his father.

The veteran Congress leader died at a hospital in Bengaluru on July 18, 2023.

He also sought an apology from an online news portal to the Kerala society for publishing false reports alleging that the family had denied the late CM all necessary treatment, including vaccination.

He clarified that the family decided not to give him anything, including the vaccine, that might be harmful to his health.

"We tried to ensure all possible steps to safeguard his health. He had to be shifted to the hospital a day after such a report (about denying him treatment) cropped up," he told reporters.

Not just his treatment, the online media portal had published false and derogatory reports about Oommen Chandy and his family in connection with the solar scam as well, he claimed.

"No family or no son should go through such a situation or face such charges... The truth cannot be hidden forever. It will come out one day," Oommen added.

Earlier in the day, the MLA took to Facebook and spoke about the allegations he and his family faced for not vaccinating Oommen Chandy.

On Facebook Live, he said he was once again talking about the charges in the wake of media reports on the side effects of the Covishield vaccine.

Oommen Chandy was airlifted from Thiruvananthapuram to a private hospital in Bengaluru after he was found infected with pneumonia on February 12, 2023.

His relatives had alleged that the veteran Congress leader was being denied proper medical care by his close family members.

As social media was abuzz with reports of his health condition, Oommen Chandy posted a video on his son's Facebook page, claiming that he was being properly taken care of by his family and the party.

UK-headquartered pharma giant AstraZeneca has admitted that in 'very rare cases', its Covid-19 vaccine, which is known as Vaxzevria in Europe and Covishield in India, can cause a blood clot-related side effect but the causal link is unknown, according to court papers being quoted in the UK media.

In India, the AstraZeneca vaccine was manufactured by the Serum Institute of India.