'Vaccines are safe': Covishield makers responds to heart attack concerns

The makers of the Covishield vaccine, The Serum Institute of India took to X (formerly Twitter), to share that the COVID-19 vaccine are "safe and scientifically validated". This comes at a time when the Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said that "several studies worldwide have recently indicated that COVID vaccines could be a cause for the increasing number of heart attacks."

However, recent studies conducted by the  Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) have found no direct link between COVID-19 vaccination and reports of unexpected fatalities in the country.

The studies confirm that COVID-19 vaccinations in India are safe and efficacious, with exceedingly rare cases of major side effects. Genetics, lifestyle, pre-existing illnesses, and post-COVID problems are all potential causes of sudden cardiac death.

The Serum Institute of India in the post on X said, "In light of recent concerns, we affirm: Two large-scale studies by ICMR and AIIMS, as cited by the Ministry of Health (@MoHFW_INDIA) have found no link between COVID-19 vaccines and



sudden deaths. The vaccines are safe and scientifically validated."

This post comes after the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare released a rebuttal to claims that Covid-19 vaccines might be associated with sudden deaths. The ministry said, "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."

Meanwhile, Karnataka Chief Ministerin a post on X said that in the past month alone, in just one district of Hassan, more than twenty people have died due to heart attacks. The government has also formed a committee of experts to identify the exact cause of these series of deaths and to find solutions.

He wrote, "Orders were given to this same committee back in February to conduct a thorough study on the reasons behind sudden deaths among young people in the state, and whether the COVID vaccines could have any adverse effects. In this regard, the process of examining and analyzing heart patients is also underway."