AstraZeneca Admits Its Covishield Vaccine Can Cause Rare Side Effects: Know what it is

AstraZeneca, the British pharmaceutical company behind the development of Covishield, has recently made a significant reversal in its position regarding potential side effects of the vaccine. Covishield, which was produced by the Serum Institute of India and widely distributed in the country, has been acknowledged by AstraZeneca to have the potential to cause a rare side effect involving blood clots and low platelet count.

This admission follows a class action lawsuit filed in the UK, where claimants are seeking damages totaling up to £100 million due to alleged deaths and severe injuries caused by the vaccine. In court documents, AstraZeneca conceded that Covishield could lead to Thrombosis with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome (TTS), a condition characterized by blood clots and low platelet levels.

The lawsuit was initiated by Jamie Scott, who claimed to have suffered a permanent brain injury after receiving the vaccine in April 2021. AstraZeneca has contested these claims but has acknowledged the possibility of TTS in rare cases, a statement that contradicts its previous denial of a generic link between the vaccine and the syndrome.

AstraZeneca’s admission in the legal defense of Scott’s claim suggests a potential shift in its stance, which could have implications for compensation to victims and their families.

The latest admission also contradicts the company’s 2023 stand, in which it had told the lawyers of Jamie Scott that “we do not accept that TTS is caused by the vaccine at a generic level”.

AstraZeneca has, however, denied the lawyers’ claims that the vaccine is “defective” and its efficacy “vastly overstated”.