Centre Should Work To Urgently Address 'Side-Effects' Of Covishield, Says Delhi Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj

AstraZeneca, the UK-based pharmaceutical company, has admitted the possibility of a rare blood clot-related side effect associated with its COVID-19 vaccine.

New Delhi: Delhi Health Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj on Tuesday said the Centre should work to urgently address the alleged side-effects of the Covidshield vaccine as millions of people in India were administered the shot during the Covid pandemic. Saurabh Bharadwaj expressed concern over the alleged link between the side-effects of the Covishield vaccine and a string of sudden deaths in India.

Bharadwaj highlighted that Covishield faced bans in multiple European nations, including Germany, France, Spain, Finland, Norway, and Denmark, earlier in 2021 due to safety apprehensions, reported PTI.

AstraZeneca, the UK-based pharmaceutical company, has admitted the possibility of a rare blood clot-related side effect associated with its COVID-19 vaccine, according to court documents reported by UK media. In a legal submission to the High Court in London, AstraZeneca admitted that its vaccine, developed in collaboration with the University of Oxford, may cause Thrombosis with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome (TTS) in very rare instances.

The vaccine, marketed as Vaxzevria and manufactured by the Serum Institute of India, is known as Covishield in India. While the causal link remains uncertain, this acknowledgment underscores the importance of ongoing vigilance and investigation into potential adverse reactions associated with COVID-19 vaccines.

Deceased Were Young Individuals: Bharadwaj 

Speaking about complications related to the Covidshield vaccine, Bhardwaj told PTI, The central government should urgently address the alleged side-effects of the vaccine because millions of people in India have been vaccinated with Covidshield.

Speaking to PTI, Bharadwaj alluled to the emergence of numerous social media videos depicting individuals collapsing and dying shortly after engaging in activities, a phenomenon previously unseen prior to the pandemic.

He expressed deep concern over these reports, particularly noting that many of the deceased were young individuals. Bharadwaj stressed the importance of the government taking proactive measures to investigate and mitigate potential side-effects.