Clotting Side Effect with Covishield Rare Now; Only 7 Out 10 Lakh May Face Risk: Former ICMR Scientist
At least 90% of Indians are vaccinated with the AstraZeneca shot, which is produced by the Serum Institute of India and is known as Covishield. (Image: Reuters/File)
Only seven to eight individuals out of 10 lakh, who receive the coronavirus vaccine Covishield, face the risk of experiencing a rare side effect known as thrombosis thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS). India’s top epidemiologist, former ICMR scientist Dr Raman Gangakhedkar, said those who got this vaccine have “no risk at all”.
“The risk is highest when you get the first dose but it lowers with the second dose and is lowest with the third. If a side effect has to happen, it will show up within the initial two to three months,” Gangakhedkar told News18.
According to court documents cited by UK media reports, AstraZeneca, a pharmaceutical giant headquartered in the country, has acknowledged that its Covid vaccine can rarely lead to a side effect involving blood clots. The vaccine, known as AZ Vaxzevria, is also produced by the Serum Institute of India (SII) and is known as Covishield. At least 90 per cent of the Indian population is vaccinated using this jab.
Gangakhedkar, who was the face of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) during government briefings on Covid-19, said: “Within six months of the launch of the vaccine, TTS was recognised as a rare side effect of the adenovirus vector vaccine. There is nothing new or change in understanding of the vaccine.”
“There is a need to understand that the risk is close to just 7 to 8 people out of 10 lakh getting the vaccine,” he added.
Gangakhedkar said given the positive impact of this vaccine on millions, who are alive and kicking, the associated risk is minimal. British news outlet The Daily Telegraph reported that AstraZeneca, in a legal document submitted to the high court in London in February for a group action involving 51 claimants, admitted that its vaccine – developed in collaboration with the University of Oxford to combat Covid-19 – may lead to thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS) in “very rare cases”.
‘Need to weigh risk versus benefits’
According to the expert, vaccines or medicines in such emergencies are always approved using “risk and benefit analysis”. “In this case, too, the benefit was much bigger than the risk expected,” he said.
Gangakhedkar, who is known for his simplistic approach to clearing complicated matters, said: “Such a rare chance of damage exists even when you drive on the road (in the form of an accident) or even when an individual chooses to complete a course of medication or take a vitamin shot.”
He further said: “When an individual is prescribed a course of a vitamin B12 injection, they are being asked to take the first shot in the hospital due to chances of an anaphylaxis reaction.”
Anaphylaxis is a severe and life-threatening reaction, which can happen seconds or minutes after the person has been exposed to something they are allergic to. “Hence, we can’t estimate the benefit of the Covishield vaccine, which comprises more than 90 per cent of Covid-19 vaccination among the Indian population,” Gangakhedkar said.
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