In a massive development, British pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca has admitted that its COVID-19 vaccine may have dangerous side effects. However, this will happen only in very rare cases. Serum Institute in India (SII) has manufactured a vaccine named Covishield from the same formula as AstraZeneca. According to the report of British media reports, AstraZeneca is accused of causing the death of many people due to their vaccine. Many others had to face serious illnesses. 51 cases are going on against the company in the UK High Court. The victims have demanded compensation of about Rs 1 thousand crore (100 million pounds) from AstraZeneca. Now, the question arises what is AstraZeneca's Covishield's side effect? Below is everything you need to know-
What is Covishield's side-effect?
AstraZeneca has admitted that their COVID vaccine can cause thrombosis thrombocytopenia syndrome i.e. TTS in some cases. Due to this disease, blood clots form in the body and the number of platelets falls. Despite admitting to Covishield's side-effect, AstraZeneca maintains that the vaccine is not "defective" and its efficacy is not "vastly overstated."
How did Covishield's side-effect come to the fore?
In April 2021, a person named Jamie Scott got vaccinated by Covishield. After this, his condition worsened. The formation of blood clots in the body had a direct impact on his brain. Apart from this, internal bleeding also occurred in Scott's brain. According to the report, doctors told his wife that they would not be able to save Scott.
Last year, Scott filed a complaint against AstraZeneca. In May 2023, in response to Scott's allegations, the company claimed that their vaccine could not cause TTS. The company retracted this claim in legal documents submitted to the High Court in February this year. The information about these documents has now come to light.
However, the company currently does not have information about what causes this disease in the vaccine. After these documents came to light, Scott's lawyer claimed in the court that the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine had flaws and wrong information was given about its effectiveness.
Is there any case in India due to Covishield side effects?
The answer is no. Sources within the SII were quoted saying that till now there are no cases of rare Covishield side effects have been registered in India.