By Our Bureau
Against the backdrop of sudden unexplained deaths, especially of young people, the Health Ministry said that it has been investigated by several agencies in the country and these studies 鈥渃onclusively established that there is no direct link between Covid-19 vaccination and the reports of sudden deaths in the country鈥.
The Health Ministry statement comes even as Karnataka鈥檚 Chief Minister, on Tuesday, raised concerns involving possible links to the Covid-19 vaccines 鈥 as the State looks into reports of 20 sudden heart attacks in Hassan district in about a month among young people who apparently did not have a prior history of illness.
鈥淪tudies by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) affirm that Covid-19 vaccines in India are safe and effective, with extremely rare instances of serious side effects. Sudden cardiac deaths can result from a wide range of factors, including genetics, lifestyle, pre-existing conditions, and post-Covid complications,鈥 the Health Ministry said.
The ICMR and NCDC have been working together to understand the causes behind sudden unexplained deaths, especially in young adults between the ages of 18 and 45 years, the note said. Two complementary studies were undertaken using different research approaches 鈥 one, based on past data and another involving real-time investigation. 鈥淭he first study, conducted by ICMR鈥檚 National Institute of Epidemiology (NIE), was titled 鈥淔actors associated with unexplained sudden deaths among adults aged 18-45 years in India 鈥 A multicentric matched case鈥揷ontrol study.鈥 This 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 have conclusively showed that Covid-19 vaccination does not increase the risk of unexplained sudden death in young adults,鈥 the note said.
The second study, titled 鈥淓stablishing the cause in sudden unexplained deaths in young,鈥 is currently being conducted by the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi with funding and in collaboration with ICMR. 鈥淭his is a prospective study aimed at determining the common causes of sudden deaths in young adults. Early analysis of data from the study indicates 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 a 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,鈥 the note said,
Together, these two studies offer a more comprehensive understanding of sudden unexplained deaths in young adults in India, the note said, adding that it has also been revealed that Covid-19 vaccination 鈥渄oes 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.鈥
The note further said, 鈥淪cientific experts have reiterated that statements linking Covid vaccination to sudden deaths are false and misleading, and are not supported by scientific consensus. 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.鈥
Published on July 2, 2025