Vivek (1961-2021): ‘A great loss to the Tamil community’

The sudden demise of Tamil actor Vivek has left his fans, friends and colleagues shocked. He passed away on Saturday after suffering a cardiac arrest. While there were reports of his health deteriorating after taking a jab of the coronavirus vaccine, the Tamil Nadu Health Department refuted the rumours in a press meet. The private hospital in Chennai, where Vivek, 59, was being treated, said he suffered “an acute coronary syndrome with cardiogenic shock. This is a separate cardiac event. It may not be due to Covid vaccination”. On Friday, the actor underwent “emergency coronary angiogram followed by angioplasty”, a medical bulletin said. But his condition stayed critical through the day.

The 59-year-old actor made headlines on Thursday for promoting the importance of vaccination to fight the coronavirus. He chose to get vaccinated at a government hospital to spread awareness instead of going to a private hospital.

“The government hospitals provide healthcare services to the majority of poor people. Many have doubts about vaccination and its side effects. There are also several rumours doing the rounds. I want to put an end to all the rumours. I want to show people that there is no danger in getting vaccinated. On the contrary, it will protect us. And it is not like this vaccination will completely prevent us from getting Covid-19 infection. After the vaccination, even if we catch the virus, there won’t be death. So after vaccination, we should still follow the safety guidelines,” Vivek told the media after receiving his first jab of Covid-19 vaccination.

Courtesy The Indian Express