Researchers Have Not Found A Relationship Between Sudden Death And COVID-19 Vaccine

Illustration of COVID-19 vaccination in India. (Wikimedia Commons/Suyash.dwivedi)

JAKARTA - Researchers in India found no evidence that COVID-19 vaccination was behind an "unexplainable sudden death", according to a media organization, instead pointing to the disease itself, intense drinking and sporting parties as a risk factor.

India's Medical Research Council (ICMR) conducted research after what it called "anecdotal reports of sudden, unexplained deaths, among apparently healthy adults" aged 18 to 45 in the period October 2021 and March 2023.

"We found no evidence of a positive relationship between COVID-19 vaccination and sudden death that cannot be explained among young adults," the research group said in a study published in the 'Obviously Journal of Medical Research'.

"At the same time, family history with sudden death, hospitalization due to COVID-19 and lifestyle behavior such as recent drinking parties, to high-intensity physical activity are factors of risk of sudden death that cannot be explained," the group continued.

ICMR researchers identified 29,171 sudden deaths and examined records of 729 cases, as well as 2,916 "control" subjects as part of their investigations, the group said.

Government data shows India recorded around 45 million cases of COVID infection and 533,295 related deaths, although experts say that the actual number is several times higher.

It is known that many hospitals in India ran out of beds during the peak of the COVID-19 crisis and many people died at home.