A viral message stating that a person should not take any anaesthetics/ anaesthesia injections after receiving the COVID-19 vaccine as it could lead to side effects and even cause death has no scientific evidence backing the claim.
BOOM spoke to an anaesthesiologist who refuted the viral claim and explained that they have successfully given anaesthesia to several patients who signed up for surgeries post vaccination.
This viral message makes unverified claims that anaesthesia could pose a great danger to the life of the vaccinated person even leading to death. It adds that those vaccinated should undergo surgery only after four weeks. It further goes on to cite the example of a person who allegedly died after being given anaesthesia and says that the COVID-19 vaccine box warns of the same.
BOOM received this message on its WhatsApp helpline requesting verification.
This message is also being shared on Facebook.
Fact Check
BOOM spoke to Dr. Vijay Shetty, head of department, Anaesthesia, Fortis Hospital Mulund about the viral claims. "There are no guidelines about people not getting surgeries after vaccination. As a matter of fact, we have conducted urgent surgeries a week or so after patients got vaccinated and have had successful surgeries and outcomes," said Dr. Shetty.
The anaesthesiologist emphasised that surgeries had been stalled for a while for patients who were infected by COVID-19 due to the risk of post COVID complications. He also mentioned that there were no guidelines by the WHO or the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare that claimed anaesthesia should be avoided post vaccination.
"After COVID, we know that patients still undergo a few infections in the respiratory system, or thrombolytic (blood clot) episodes. We have started performing surgeries on COVID-19 patients too. We have lost some patients both from those who were infected and those who were vaccinated but their demise was due to other underlying reasons and should not be attributed to the vaccine for those who were vaccinated," explained Dr. Shetty.
The doctor also stated that it was important that instead of the messages creating vaccine hesitancy, it was important that people understood the difference between the post-COVID infection and post- COVID vaccination guidelines. He also added that there was no evidence supporting these claims.
Even the American Society of Anesthesiologists, a group for these specialised doctors, has said that there is no evidence that the vaccine interferes with anaesthesia. They, however, share that the vaccinated should wait a couple of days after immunisation as the body is recuperating and may not be able to handle the stress of a surgery or anaesthesia, immediately post vaccination.
Dr. Shetty shared that his team had conducted successful surgeries on people who received only one dose of the vaccine too, which required the patient to be dosed with anaesthesia.
In a paper published in March 2021 in the British journal of Anaesthesiology, doctors from Germany have observed that the best timing of vaccination for optimal immune response to protect the patient from COVID-19 after surgery is unknown. They also recommend that surgeries be scheduled 15 days after receiving the second dose or after a person is fully vaccinated, so that the vaccine is not blamed if there are any complications following the surgery post COVID-19 vaccination.