Hassan, Karnataka: The Union Health Ministry on Wednesday dismissed the linking of the recent series of heart-related deaths in Karnataka’s Hassan district to the Covid vaccine. The ministry’s response came a day after State Chief Minister Siddaramaiah raised suspicion about the potential link of the recent spate of cardiac deaths to the Covid vaccine.

Extensive studies conducted by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) have conclusively established no link between coronavirus vaccines and sudden deaths. The union health ministry asserted in a statement that the vaccines are safe and effective, with extremely rare instances of serious side effects.

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It pointed out that the matter of sudden unexplained deaths has been investigated by several agencies in the country and these studies have conclusively established that there is no direct link between COVID-19 vaccination and reports of sudden deaths.

In the statement, the union ministry further said that two complementary studies were undertaken using different research approaches. The first study, conducted by ICMR’s National Institute of Epidemiology (NIE), conclusively showed that COVID-19 vaccination does not increase the risk of unexplained sudden deaths in young adults.

The second study by the AIIMS New Delhi found no major changes in the pattern of causes has been observed when compared with previous years. The ministry’s statement noted 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. It further cited scientific experts dismissing such claims as false and misleading, and not supported by scientific consensus.

Read Also: Sudden Increase Of Death Due To Heart Attack Especially After COVID Pandemic: What Government Said

On Tuesday, following sudden reports of deaths due to heart attacks, the Karnataka chief minister said hasty approval and distribution of the Covid vaccine to the public could also be a reason for the recent incidents. He said he has ordered a committee formed to investigate the cardiac deaths among young people, to examine if the COVID vaccines could have any adverse effects. He added that the process of examining and analysing heart patients in this regard is also underway.

Urging to check the cases’ link with vaccine, the chief minister said the state values the lives of people. “It cannot be denied that the hasty approval and distribution of the Covid vaccine to the public could also be a reason for these deaths, as several studies worldwide have recently indicated that COVID vaccines could be a cause for the increasing number of heart attacks,” the chief minister wrote on X.