Rama Krishna Sangem
Since recently, people of young age too have suffered sudden deaths due to heart attacks. Live images of young adults in the age group of 18-50 years had collapsed in gyms and work places collapsed and died instantaneously. This has sparked off panic amidst fears that Covid-19 vaccines could be a reason behind these sudden deaths.
Bangalore city and other towns in Karnataka witnessed morr such deaths since last few months. But, there is no direct link between sudden deaths in adults and Covid-19 vaccines, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) confirmed on July 2, Wednesday.
The Union health ministry said this conclusion is based on extensive studies conducted by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (Aiims).
“The matter of sudden, unexplained deaths has been investigated through several agencies in the country. These studies have conclusively established that there is no direct link between Covid-19 vaccination and the reports of sudden deaths in the country. Sudden cardiac deaths can result from a wide range of factors, including genetics, lifestyle, pre-existing conditions, and post-Covid complications,” MoHFW said in a statement.
Deaths in 18-43 years age group
The study conducted across 47 hospitals between May and August 2023 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, found that Covid-19 vaccination does not increase the risk of sudden unexplained deaths in young adults.
Preliminary findings from an ongoing Aiims study, funded and conducted in collaboration with ICMR, titled Establishing the cause in sudden unexplained deaths in young, also indicate that heart attacks or myocardial infarction (MI), genetic factors, and unhealthy lifestyle choices continue to be the leading causes of such deaths.
Covid-19 vaccines are safe
The ministry further confirmed that studies by ICMR and the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) have shown that Covid-19 vaccines in India are safe and effective, with extremely rare instances of serious side effects. The studies reconfirm that vaccines are not to blame for sudden deaths.
What are the real causes of sudden deaths in young adults? According to MoHFW, the studies identified several key risk factors behind sudden deaths: Genetic mutations and family history of heart disease, Lifestyle factors like smoking, binge drinking, drug use, and intense physical exertion, Post-Covid health complications such as clotting issues and cardiac strain,
The ongoing Aiims study also shows that the patterns of causes have not changed significantly from previous years, indicating that sudden deaths in this group are not a new phenomenon triggered by vaccines. The ministry stressed that vaccines have saved millions of lives worldwide during the pandemic and remain a crucial shield against severe Covid-19.
Recently Excel India carried a story on how most Indians are using costly heart attack preventive injections like Inclisiaran which are priced at Rs 1.28 lakh per dose. Doctors in Hyderabad told us that most youngsters are coming to heart specialists and emergency care experts complaining of chest pain and other heart related issues.
