Covishield vaccine, the AstraZeneca’s vaccine formula, licensed to Pune-based Serum Institute of India (SII) could cause low platelet counts and formation of blood clots in “very rare” cases, as confirmed by AstraZeneca following a case filed against the company in the United Kingdom.
The UK-based media organisation The Telegraph reported recently that a case was lodged last year by Jamie Scott, a father of two, who was left with a permanent brain injury after developing a blood clot and a bleed on the brain that has prevented him from working after he received the vaccine in April 2021.
Around fifty-one cases have been lodged in the High Court (in the UK), with victims and grieving relatives seeking damages estimated to be worth up to £100 million, the report said.
During the court hearing, AstraZeneca accepted a link between the vaccine and Thrombosis with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome (TTS). A range of symptoms are associated with TTS, include breathlessness, pain in the chest or limbs, pinhead-size red spots or bruising of the skin in an area beyond the injection site, headaches, numbness in body parts, etc. TTS also restricts the flow of blood due to clotting.
More than 174 crore doses of Covishield have been administered across India during Covid-19 pandemic.
It is pertinent to mention that Adar Poonawalla head of the Serum Institute of India (SII) was among the highest donors of electoral bonds to political parties in India during the financial year 2022-23, according to a report published by the Association for Democratic Reforms.