After admitting to possible rare side effects of the Covid vaccine, here's what AstraZeneca said

Amid the ongoing concerns over potential rare side effects of the AstraZeneca-Oxford COVID-19 vaccine, the pharma firm has reassured that the covid vaccine is safe. It has also reiterated its commitment to patient safety.

"Our sympathy goes out to anyone who has lost loved ones or reported health problems. Patient safety is our highest priority, and regulatory authorities have clear and stringent standards to ensure the safe use of all medicines, including vaccines", an AstraZeneca spokesperson stated.

Covid vaccine concern

AstraZeneca recently admitted in court documents that its Covid vaccine Covishield and Vaxzevria "can, in very rare cases, cause Thrombosis Thrombocytopenia Syndrome (TTS)."

However, the pharmaceutical company has maintained that extensive clinical trial data and real-world evidence consistently support the vaccine's safety and efficacy. Likewise, global regulatory agencies continue to assert that the benefits of vaccination outweigh the risks of such extremely rare side effects.

Covishield viral vector platform

In India, the Serum Institute of India produced COVID-19 vaccine named Covishield. However Covishield did not use mRNA platform, instead it used viral vector platform. In the vaccine, the COVID-19 spike protein is carried into human cells via a modified chimpanzee adenovirus - ChAdOx1.

This virus is incapable of infecting the receiver but can very well teach the immune system to prepare a mechanism against such viruses.

WHO on TTS

In 2023, the World Health Organisation has also noted Thrombosis Thrombocytopenia Syndrome as an emerging new adverse event following immunisation in individuals vaccinated with COVID-19 non-replicant adenovirus vector-based vaccines. This vector based vaccines include AstraZeneca COVID-19 ChAdOx-1 vaccine and the Johnson & Johnson (J & J) Janssen COVID-19 Ad26.COV2-S vaccines.

"TTS is a serious and life-threatening adverse event. WHO has issued this interim emergency guidance to increase awareness about TTS in the context of COVID-19 vaccination and help healthcare providers in the assessment and management of potential TTS cases," the 2023 statement by WHO read.

In March while speaking at 'ANI Dialogues - Navigating India's health sector', Union health minister Mansukh Mandaviya said that ICMR has done a detailed study which shows that COVID-19 vaccine is not responsible for heart attacks, and an individual's lifestyle and factors such as binge drinking could be among underlying causes.

"If someone has a stroke today, they think it is because of the Covid vaccine. ICMR has done a detailed study that the (Covid) vaccine is not responsible for heart attacks", Mandaviya said

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