Day after Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah posted on social media that “hasty approval and distribution of the Covid vaccine to the public” could be a reason behind sudden deaths being reported from parts of the state, the Union Ministry of Health has clarified that studies conducted by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) have affirmed that there is “no direct link” between the vaccines and sudden deaths reported from anywhere in the country.
In a statement issued on Monday, the ministry cited the studies by ICMR and NCDC to reiterate that the Covid-19 vaccines administered to the people of India are “safe and effective”, though there could be some “extremely rare instances of serious side effects”.
With sudden unexplained deaths, especially in younger people aged 18 to 45 years, being reported from across the country, the ICMR’s National Institute of Epidemiology (NIE) and the NCDC have been studying the causes behind this, the government said.
Factors Likely Responsible For Sudden Deaths
According to the ministry statement, the sudden cardiac deaths could be the result of a wide range of factors, which may include lifestyle, genetics, pre-existing conditions, and also post-Covid complications. Quoting a study being conducted by AIIMS, the ministry said early analysis shows “genetic mutations” as a possible cause behind the deaths.
‘Not Supported By Scientific Consensus’
Explaining two complementary studies undertaken so far, the government said they are using different research approaches. While one is based on past data, the other involves real-time investigation.
The NIE study titled “Factors associated with unexplained sudden deaths among adults aged 18-45 years in India – A multicentric matched case–control study” was carried out across 47 tertiary care hospitals from May to August 2023 in 19 states and union territories. It studied individuals who died suddenly between October 2021 and March 2023. All these people appeared to be otherwise healthy. The findings “conclusively showed” that Covid-19 vaccination is not responsible for increasing the risk of unexplained death in young adults, the statement said.
Another study is being conducted by the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, in collaboration with the ICMR. Titled “Establishing the cause in sudden unexplained deaths in young”, the study aims to determine the common causes of sudden unexplained deaths in young adults.
Early analysis of data, as per the ministry, indicates that heart attacks continue to be the leading cause of these sudden deaths. “Importantly, no major changes in the pattern of causes have been observed when compared with previous years,” it said. The study, which is incomplete right now, has identified genetic mutations as a possible cause in most of the death cases.
Quoting scientific experts, the ministry said any statement linking Covid vaccination to the sudden and unexplained deaths are “false and misleading”, and “not supported by scientific consensus”. It warned against “speculative claims without conclusive evidence”, which could erode public confidence in vaccines that saved millions of lives during the pandemic.
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