AstraZeneca admits its Covishield vaccine may lead to rare side effect

AstraZeneca, the British pharma giant, has confessed that its Covid vaccination could cause rare side effects, according to The Telegraph (UK). In rare cases, Covishield may cause blood clots and a low platelet count, according to court documents.

Covishield, developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University during the pandemic, was made at the Serum Institute of India and widely supplied across the country.

AstraZeneca is facing a class action lawsuit in the United Kingdom on allegations that its vaccine caused deaths and several injuries in many cases. Victims in as many as 51 cases before the UK High Court are seeking damage of up to 100 million pounds.

Jamie Scott, the first complainant in the case, claimed that he received the vaccination in April 2021, which resulted in a permanent brain injury due to a blood clot. This has prevented him from working, and the hospital has warned his wife three times that he is going to die, he claimed.

According to the report, AstraZeneca has denied the allegations, but stated in one of the court filings in February that Covishield can “in very rare cases, cause TTS”.

“It is admitted that the AZ vaccine can, in very rare cases, cause TTS. The causal mechanism is not known…Further, TTS can also occur in the absence of the AZ vaccine (or any vaccine). Causation in any individual case will be a matter for expert evidence,” AstraZeneca stated.