UK-based pharma giant AstraZeneca, which manufactured Covishield, has reportedly admitted that its COVID vaccine can cause rare side effects, including blood clots and low platelet count in humans.
According to a UK daily, AstraZeneca has submitted before a court that its COVID Vaccine “can, in very rare cases, cause TTS”.
TTS or Thrombosis with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome is a condition which can cause blood clots and low platelet count.
According to the report, 51 cases have been lodged in the UK High Court against the pharma major, with victims seeking damages estimated to be worth up to GBP 100 million. In the class action lawsuits, victims and grieving relatives alleged deaths and severe injuries
Covishield was developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University during the Coronavirus pandemic. The vaccine was produced by India’s Serum Institute of India and widely administered in the country during the pandemic.
The development also comes amid rising concerns in India after a surge in case of sudden heart attacks.
While the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) after a multi-centre study has suggested that the sudden deaths are not related to the COVID jabs, the AstraZeneca admission has again raised the alarm.
Meanwhile, the Opposition has also launched a scathing attack against the Narendra Modi government and asked if this was the reason Serum Institute of India, the company that produced the vaccine, paid crores in Electoral Bonds to the BJP.
“Where is the Thank You Modi ji banner now? Why are the PM and Health Ministry silent? Is this the reason why deaths due to heart attack at a young age occur? Was this the reason why BJP took electoral bonds worth Rs 50 crore from Serum Institute?” Congress leader BV Srinivas said.