Centre’s rebuttal after Siddaramaiah flagged possible Covid vaccine link in heart attack deaths

A day after Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, while expressing concern over the spike in heart attack deaths in Hassan, wondered if the fatalities were linked to the “adverse effects” of the Covid-19 vaccine, the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Wednesday clarified that there is no direct link between vaccination and sudden cardiac deaths.

 

Citing two extensive studies conducted by the ICMR and AIIMS, the ministry asserted that Covid-19 vaccines in India are safe and effective.

 

It also stated that lifestyle and pre-existing conditions had been identified as key factors for the deaths.

 

Further, the ministry reminded that “speculative claims” without conclusive evidence risk undermining public confidence in vaccines, which have played a crucial role in saving millions of lives during the pandemic.

 

“Such unfounded reports and claims could strongly contribute to vaccine hesitancy in the country, thereby adversely impacting public health. The Government of India remains committed to evidence-based public health research to protect the wellbeing of its citizens,” stated the official communication.

 

Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said that the Covid-19 vaccine might be a reason for the sudden spike in heart attack cases in Hassan district where at least 18 cases of cardiac deaths were reported in the last one month.

 

“It cannot be ruled out that the sudden approval and distribution of the Covid vaccine in haste may also be one of the causes of these deaths. This is supported by several global studies which have recently suggested a possible link between the vaccine and increased instances of cardiac arrest. Before criticising us, BJP leaders should search their own conscience,” the chief minister said.

 

The chief minister has announced that a committee of experts headed by Dr Ravindranath, director of Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences and Research, Bengaluru, will examine the causes of death and also suggest remedial measures within 10 days.

 

In February this year, the Dr Ravindranath Committee had been tasked with an in-depth study on the causes of sudden deaths among young people and adolescents across the state and their possible link to the adverse effects of the Covid-19 vaccine.

 

The Union ministry, meanwhile, cited two complementary studies carried out using different research approaches—one based on past data and another involving real-time investigation. The first study, conducted by ICMR’s National Institute of Epidemiology (NIE), titled “Factors associated with unexplained sudden deaths among adults aged 18-45 years in India – A multicentric matched case–control study”, was carried out from May to August 2023 across 47 tertiary care hospitals in 19 states and Union territories. It looked at individuals who appeared to be healthy but died suddenly between October 2021 and March 2023. The findings conclusively show that COVID-19 vaccination does not increase the risk of unexplained sudden death in young adults, the ministry said.

 

A second study titled “Establishing the cause in sudden unexplained deaths in young” is currently being conducted by the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi with funding and in collaboration with ICMR. The prospective study aims at determining the common causes of sudden deaths in young adults. Early analysis of data has indicated that heart attacks, or myocardial infarction (MI), continue to be the leading cause of sudden death in this age group. Importantly, no major changes in the pattern of causes have been observed when compared with previous years. In the majority of the unexplained death cases, genetic mutations have been identified as a possible cause of these deaths.

 

“The final results will be shared once the study is complete. Together, these two studies offer a more comprehensive understanding of sudden unexplained deaths in young adults in India and also reveal that Covid-19 vaccination does not appear to increase the risk, whereas, the role of underlying health issues, genetic predisposition and risky lifestyle choices does play a role in unexplained sudden deaths. Scientific experts have reiterated that statements linking Covid vaccination to sudden deaths are false and misleading, and are not supported by scientific consensus,” stated the ministry. 

India