Fact Check: Is Taking Anesthesia After COVID-19 Vaccine Harmful? Learn Truth Behind Viral Claim

Experts have denied a claim going viral on social media. They reckon that there is no proof that anesthesia badly affects people who have taken the COVID-19 vaccine.

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A post is going viral on social media with the claim that one should not take anesthesia after taking the COVID-19 vaccine as it can lead to side effects and be life-threatening. It is being said that people who have been vaccinated should wait a month for any surgery involving anesthesia. 

Truth Behind Taking Anesthesia After COVID-19 Vaccine

Before any kind of surgery, doctors sedate the patient by injecting them with anesthesia. After taking anesthesia, the patient does feel pain and loses sense of what is happening to his body. 

Viral Claim

No Scientific Evidence To Support Viral Claim

Experts said: "There is no guideline about those who undergo surgery after vaccination. In fact, we have performed immediate surgery on patients a week or so after vaccination and the results have been successful."

Anesthesiologists have emphasized that the surgery was put on hold for some time in view of the post-COVID-19 complications of the coronavirus-infected patients.

There are no guidelines from the World Health Organization or the Ministry of Health around avoiding anesthesia post-vaccination.

Dr. Shetty elaborated, "Post-COVID-19, we know that the patient still goes through some infections in the respiratory system.

We have also started doing surgeries on COVID-19 patients. During this, we have lost both types of patients - vaccinated and infected patients - but they died due to other underlying causes and it should not be linked to post-vaccination individuals only." He further added that there is no scientific evidence to support these claims.

However, people who have been vaccinated should wait a few days as the body is recovering and may not be able to handle the pressure of any surgery or anaesthesia. Vaccine manufacturers have also not issued a warning that people who have been vaccinated have been asked to stay away from surgery involving anesthesia. AIIMS director Randeep Guleria also told India Today that the viral message is 'fake news.'