AstraZeneca Admits its COVID Vaccine Covishield can Cause Rare Side Effects

AstraZeneca has admitted for the first time in court documents that its Covid-19 vaccine, sold globally under the brand names Covishield and Vaxzevria among others, may lead to a rare side-effect. According to media reports, the admission was made in a legal document submitted to the UK High Court in February.

The pharmaceutical company is being sued in a class action over claims that its vaccine against Covid-19, developed with the University of Oxford, caused death and serious injury, including TTS. 

What is TTS?

TTS or Thrombosis with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome, which causes people to have blood clots and a low blood platelet count. It is a type of cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST) where blood clots form in the brain's venous sinuses, preventing blood from draining out of the brain. This leads to a decrease in platelet count and can result in bleeding or blood clots in various parts of the body.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), TTS syndrome is a serious and rare adverse event that has been reported among a small number of people who received the Covishield vaccine. The condition has been reported mostly in younger individuals. Women under 60 years old are at increased risk.

As many as 1,749,417,978 doses of Covishield vaccine have been administered in India, in what was the world’s largest vaccination programme from January 2021, according to the vaccine dashboard of the government's web portal CoWIN (as of today).

AstraZeneca's admission is seen as a key moment in the ongoing legal dispute, underscoring potential risks linked to vaccination. 51 cases have been lodged in the High Court, with victims and grieving relatives seeking damages estimated to be worth up to £100 million, according to reports.

With inputs from Indian Express and Business Standard