COVER STORY
The debate over the safety of COVID-19 vaccines has resurfaced in India, reignited by concerns raised by several politicians and public figures in recent weeks. Fuelled by emotionally charged narratives, social media misinformation, and ambiguous remarks from some political leaders, the vaccine discourse in India is being pulled away from scientific evidence and toward sensationalism.
The spark for the latest round of questions came from leaders across party lines citing anecdotal reports and social media posts about rising cardiac arrests and deaths among young adults, allegedly after receiving COVID-19 vaccines. Some regional politicians have even called for a formal parliamentary inquiry into the matter.
Key Facts: India’ s COVID-19 Vaccination Program
Launch Date: January 16, 2021
" In the past month alone, in just one district of Hassan, more than twenty people have died due to heart attacks. The government is taking this matter very seriously. To identify the exact cause of these series of deaths and to find solutions, a committee of experts has been formed under the leadership of Dr. Ravindranath, Director of Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences and
Doses Administered: Over 2.2 billion( as of March 2025) Vaccines Used: Covishield Covaxin Corbevax, Sputnik V, ZyCoV-D, and iNCOVACC Tech Backbone: CoWIN platform for registration, appointment booking, digital vaccine certificates. Over 2.1 billion e-certificates issued Global Vaccine Diplomacy:“ Vaccine Maitri” initiative exported vaccines to 100 + countries Adverse Events: Fewer than 0.01 % serious adverse events reported
Research, and they have been instructed to submit a study report within 10 days. 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," CM Siddaramaiah said in a post on X( formerly Twitter).
Raghav Chadha, an MP from the Aam Aadmi Party, who in a recent press conference said:“ We must not brush aside people’ s concerns. There is a growing perception that young, otherwise healthy individuals have collapsed due to unknown causes. If vaccines are entirely safe, the government should welcome an independent audit of vaccine safety data.”
Similarly, BJP leader Subramanian Swamy, never shy of courting controversy, tweeted,“ If there are no side effects, why not publish all trial and post-marketing surveillance data openly? Transparency builds trust.”
Meanwhile, leaders from opposition parties like the Congress and Samajwadi Party have subtly amplified these concerns, mostly echoing the need for more transparency from the central government and regulatory
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BioVoiceNews | July-August 2025