There is a breaking news from the world of medicine.
A vaccine which once posed as “panacea” is now a potential threat since the maker of Covishield and Vaxzevria, AstraZeneca has admitted for the first time in court documents that its Covid-19 vaccine, may potentially lead to a rare side effect.
The Legal Battle Over AstraZeneca’s Vaccine Side Effects
As per the media reports, this admission from the company was made in the legal document submitted to the UK High court in February.
This rare side effect is known as Thrombosis with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome (TTS). Notably, in individual cases, expert testimony will be required to determine the causation, whether is happened due to vaccine or due to other reasons.
The company admitted that in rare cases, the AZ vaccine can cause TTS. However, the causal mechanism is not known at the moment.
The vaccine which was developed by AstraZeneca in collaboration with University of Oxford, was manufactured in India by Pune based Serum Institute of India (SII).
As per the data from vaccine dashboard of the government’s web portal CoWIN (as of 10:30 pm April 29, 2024), 1,749,417,978 doses of Covishield vaccine have been administered in India. This was also the world’s largest vaccination programme from January 2021.
Now the same Cambridge-headquartered British-Swedish multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology company is facing a class-action lawsuit, which claims that its vaccine caused serious injuries and fatalities.
Many families have filed complaints in the court, claiming that the vaccine has caused devastating side-effects.
Why You Shouldn’t Panic: Experts Speak
Experts reassure that there’s no need for panic regarding Thrombosis with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome (TTS) linked to COVID-19 vaccination.
TTS, rare globally and even more so among Indians and South Asians, occurred primarily in the initial weeks post-vaccination. With most individuals having received three doses and considerable time elapsed, the risk diminishes significantly.
Dr. Gagandeep Kang emphasizes that the immediate post-vaccination period posed the highest risk. The phenomenon was well-documented during vaccination campaigns, stressing its rarity.
Additionally, Covishield’s package insert always highlighted this rare side effect, urging caution. Studies, such as one published in Lancet Global Health in 2022, demonstrate varying TTS rates globally, with the highest incidences in Nordic countries and the lowest in Asia. Despite these findings, experts emphasize the life-saving benefits of vaccination outweigh the minimal risks posed by TTS.
