Category: Vaccine

TTS is classified into 2 tiers by theCDC.

AstraZeneca, a British pharmaceutical giant, has admitted that its Covid-19 vaccine can result ina rare side effectknown as Thrombosis with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome (TTS).This acknowledgement follows a lawsuit filed against the company, alleging serious harm and deaths linked to the vaccine.

According to court documents, Covishield, a vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University and manufactured by the Serum Institute of India, can, in rare instances, lead to this condition. This vaccine was extensively administered throughout India during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Thrombosis with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome (TTS) is a rare condition in which blood clots form in unusual places in the body, and the number of platelets in the blood drops. Platelets are small cells that help blood to clot, so having too few of them can be dangerous.

The condition was observed in people who received adenoviral vector COVID-19 vaccines, such as Vaxzevria, Covishield (AstraZeneca) and the Johnson & Johnson/Janssen COVID-19 vaccine. TTS seems to occur because the body's immune system reacts to the vaccine by making antibodies that attack a protein involved in blood clotting.

TTS is classified into 2 tiers by theCDC.

Symptoms of TTS can include severe headaches, stomach pain, swelling in the legs, trouble breathing, and problems with thinking or seizures. If someone shows these signs after getting a vaccine, they should see a doctor right away.

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What Is TTS, A Rare Condition Caused By AstraZeneca's Covishield Vaccine - NDTV

AstraZeneca (AZ), UK's pharmaceutical giant, has admitted its Covid vaccine, sold under the brand name of Covishield in India, in 'very rare cases' can cause a blood clot-related side effect, according to court papers being quoted in the UK media. According to media reports, the admission was made in a legal document submitted to the High Court in London in February for a group action being brought by 51 claimants. (Also read: AstraZeneca admits in court that its Covid vaccine can cause rare side-effect TTS, what is it?)

The pharmaceutical company has admitted that the vaccine developed with the University of Oxford to protect against Covid-19 may cause Thrombosis with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome (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, The Daily Telegraph quoted the legal document as stating.

"Vaccine induced thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS) is an extreme immunological reaction that occurs after Covid-19 immunization. Initially thought to be associated with viral-vector-based vaccines like Johnson & Johnson/Janssen and AstraZeneca-Oxford, it was found that the side effect may also be seen with covishield vaccine. The immunological reaction leads to the activation of platelets and the coagulation system and can cause venous or arterial thrombosis and in certain circumstances can lead to secondary haemorrhage," says Dr Viswesvaran B, Consultant Interventional Pulmonology and Sleep Medicine, Yashoda Hospitals Hyderabad.

"The finding of Thrombosis with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome (TTS), an unusual but notable adverse event that may be linked to the Covishield vaccine, has opened a new chapter about Covid-19 vaccination. As a cardiologist today, I try to understand the intricacies of cardiovascular health, which necessitates accurate and thorough investigation of this issue. My objective is to clarify the foundations of TTS, its clinical implications, and the vital role that vigilant monitoring plays in the vaccination landscape," says Dr Vanita Arora, Senior Consultant Cardiac Electrophysiologist & Interventional Cardiologist at Apollo Hospital, Delhi.

Dr. Viswesvaran says incidence of TTS among vaccine recipients appears to be higher even amongst younger individuals and recipients of a first dose and can manifest as clotting at unusual sites and sometimes with haemorrhage. "Persistent and progressively worsening headache in addition to focal neurological symptoms like visual disturbances are described as early red flags for suspecting VITT in patients," adds the expert.

Elaborating on the symptoms Dr Vishwesvaran says, "majority of these patients develop thrombosis in the lower extremities and lungs but can also develop clots at unusual sites including blood vessels supplying gut like splenic, portal or mesenteric, adrenal, cerebral, and even ophthalmic veins."

"We have been noticing that a lot of people are coming with complications of covid per se and also complications of vaccination also particularly covishield. Numerous case reports and also cases we have seen in our institute, that a lot of patients developed strokes and cardiac complications like arrhythmias and cardiac arrest and failures and also diabetes. One of these complications is thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome which states that people develop blood clots in blood vessels of vital organs which is also associated with low platelet counts. Symptoms are like severe headache, stroke, abdominal pain, swelling of legs and severe breathlessness," says Dr Gopi Krishna Yedlapati, Sr. Consultant Interventional Pulmonologist & Clinical Director, Yashoda Hospitals Hyderabad.

Dr Vanita Arora says from a clinical standpoint, it is very challenging to diagnose TTS and necessitates a high level of suspicion and acute clinical judgement, particularly in those who have received the Covishield vaccine.

"Patients may experience a broad spectrum of symptoms, ranging from severe headaches and particular neurological deficits to more subtle indications of thrombotic episodes. The co-occurrence of thrombosis and thrombocytopenia, however, is what sets TTS apart and emphasises the diagnostic conundrum that medical practitioners face. Differential diagnosis must account for a wide range of thrombotic and thrombocytopenic disorders. This necessitates a comprehensive evaluation and careful application of diagnostic modalities, including imaging tests, laboratory analyses, and haematological assessments," she says.

"When treating patients with TTS, cardiologists need to carefully consider the dangers of thrombosis and bleeding issues. In order to lessen the burden of thrombosis, anticoagulation is still necessary, but only after a thorough assessment of each patient's particular risk profile and supporting documentation. To learn more about the effects of adjuvant drugs including intravenous immunoglobulins, platelet transfusion, and corticosteroids on the immune response connected to the pathophysiology of TTS, more research is required. The development of a cohesive treatment plan tailored to the requirements and clinical trajectory of TTS patients requires interdisciplinary collaboration between cardiologists, haematologists, neurologists, and other allied health specialists," says Dr Arora.

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Understanding Covishield's rare side effect: What is Thrombosis with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome? Know symptoms, treatment - Hindustan Times

According to a report by The Telegraph, AstraZeneca, the company behind the Covishield vaccine, has acknowledged in court documents for the first time that the vaccine may lead to a rare side effect. It said, It is admitted that the AZ vaccine can, in very rare cases, cause TTS. The causal mechanism is not known. This marks a notable reversal that could lead to a multi-million pound legal payout.

According to the report, the company is being sued in a class action over claims that its vaccine can cause a health issue called Thrombosis with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome (TTS). This condition leads to blood clots forming in the body and a decrease in the number of platelets in the blood. Covishield, developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University, was widely used during the COVID-19 pandemic, including in India where it was produced by the Serum Institute.

Dr Jagadish J Hiremath, a public health intellectual, elaborates, Thrombosis with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome (TTS) is a rare condition characterised by the formation of blood clots (thrombosis) in blood vessels and a low number of blood platelets (thrombocytopenia). It has been observed as an extremely rare adverse effect associated with certain COVID-19 vaccines, notably those that use adenovirus vectors, like the AstraZeneca vaccine (Covishield).

The exact mechanism by which TTS occurs following vaccination with Covishield isnt fully understood. However, he adds, it is hypothesised that the vaccine may trigger an immune response that leads to platelet activation and the formation of blood clots, which is similar to autoimmune heparin-induced thrombocytopenia.

This differs from non-vaccine related thrombosis where factors such as surgery, smoking, or obesity might trigger thrombosis without the immune-mediated platelet activation seen in TTS, he says.

While TTS is exceedingly rare, according to Dr Hiremath, certain factors might predispose individuals to this condition, such as age, gender (more common in younger women), and possibly genetic factors.

Health providers are encouraged to monitor for symptoms of TTS, especially in individuals more at risk, to manage and treat the condition promptly.

He informs, TTS typically presents symptoms like severe headache, blurred vision, chest pain, leg swelling, persistent abdominal pain, and shortness of breath appearing within a few weeks after vaccination.

Early detection and treatment are crucial for recovery, thus both healthcare providers and patients are advised to be vigilant for these symptoms.

AstraZenecas acknowledgment of the link between Covishield and TTS may prompt enhanced safety monitoring and regulatory oversight for vaccines, Dr Hiremath believes.

This development, he says, might affect public trust in vaccines, emphasising the need for transparent communication and robust vaccine surveillance systems to maintain public confidence in vaccination programs worldwide.

Indians need to be aware but not necessarily alarmed about this report, he assures.

Given the rarity of TTS, the benefits of the Covishield vaccine in preventing COVID-19, with its potentially severe outcomes, generally outweigh the risks of this rare side effect, he explains.

Continuous monitoring and prompt medical attention for symptoms are recommended strategies for managing the risk.

IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd

First uploaded on: 30-04-2024 at 12:31 IST

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AstraZeneca admits its Covishield vaccine can cause a rare side effect: Learn more about this condition - The Indian Express

Amid recent concerns over potential rare side effects of the AstraZeneca-Oxford COVID-19 vaccine, the pharmaceutical giant has reaffirmed its dedication to patient safety, while underscoring its overall safety profile.

An AstraZeneca spokesperson said, "We extend our sympathy to anyone who has lost loved ones or experienced health issues. Patient safety remains our top priority, and regulatory authorities have stringent standards to ensure the safe use of all medicines, including vaccines."

The move follows AstraZeneca's recent acknowledgment that its Covid vaccines, Covishield and Vaxzevria, can, in very rare cases, cause Thrombosis Thrombocytopenia Syndrome (TTS).

However, the pharmaceutical company asserts that extensive clinical trial data and real-world evidence consistently demonstrate the vaccine's safety and efficacy. Regulatory agencies worldwide maintain that the benefits of vaccination outweigh the risks of such extremely rare side effects.

In 2023, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported that Thrombosis Thrombocytopenia Syndrome (TTS) emerged as a new adverse event following immunization with COVID-19 vaccines based on non-replicating adenovirus vectors.

WHO stated that TTS is a serious and life-threatening adverse event. It issued interim emergency guidance to raise awareness about TTS in the context of COVID-19 vaccination, and to assist healthcare providers in assessing and managing potential TTS cases.

AstraZeneca had partnered with the Serum Institute of India (SII), the world's largest vaccine manufacturer, to supply the vaccine to the Indian Government. The Serum Institute of India produced a COVID-19 vaccine named Covishield.

Thrombosis Thrombocytopenia Syndrome (TTS) is a rare but serious condition characterized by blood clot formation (thrombosis) and low levels of platelets in the blood (thrombocytopenia). It can be a rare side effect following vaccination, particularly with adenovirus vector-based COVID-19 vaccines. Symptoms may include severe headache, abdominal pain, leg swelling, and shortness of breath.

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'Sympathy goes out to...': AstraZeneca reaffirms safety of Covishield, Vaxzevria vaccines amid blood clot concerns | Mint - Mint

A new variant of the coronavirus has become dominant, supplanting other versions of the virus. This is why the Emergency Task Force of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) in Amsterdam issued a statement on Tuesday advising that the Covid-19 vaccine be adapted ahead of vaccination campaigns organized by EU Member States this year and next, beginning with vaccination rounds in the autumn.

The JN.1 variant was first observed in the Netherlands at the beginning of October, leading to a sharp rise in the number of known infections. At the beginning of December, over half of coronavirus cases concerned the JN.1 variant. There was a peak in infections at that time in the Netherlands.

Sewage water measurements showed that the number of infections in the Netherlands dropped drastically since the peak in December. There are also very few people in the hospitals who are currently infected with the coronavirus.

"JN.1 differs from the XBB family targeted by previous updated vaccines and has now surpassed the XBB variants to become the most widely circulating variant worldwide," the EMA wrote in the statement. Because the vaccines used recently targeted the XBB variant, which had been dominant, the new variant emerged, and bypassed the protection people had built up from the vaccines. This was similar to earlier variants of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus.

Because the virus is constantly adapting, vaccines also need to be adapted to prevent a new revival of the virus. "The evidence indicates that targeting JN.1 will help maintain the effectiveness of the vaccines as SARS-CoV-2 continues to evolve," the EMA wrote. The organization encouraged vaccine producers to contact them for assistance if they are not yet targeting the new variant.

However, Dutch public health institute RIVM said there is no evidence to suggest that people will suffer from more severe symptoms of Covid-19 if they become infected with the JN.1 variant, when compared to an infection with an earlier variants.

Every autumn, residents in the Netherlands who are in certain medical risk groups can get a booster Covid jab. This includes people who have an autoimmune disease, individuals who work in healthcare or elder care, and others, like individuals. Pregnant women are no longer included on the list, though they did have priority for a vaccine shot last autumn.

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European Medicines Agency says modified Covid vaccine needed to combat new variant - NL Times

We may never know the true number of people laid low by a rare but devastating complication related toAstraZeneca's Covid jab, lawyers representing families have told MailOnline.

Fifty-one families are currently pursuing legal action against the pharmaceutical titan, arguing its 'defective' jab was to blame for their injuries and deaths of loved ones.

Called thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TSS) or alternativelyvaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia (VITT) the complication caused dangerous, and potential deadly, blood clots to form in the body.

Alleged victims are being represented by Sarah Moore, a partner at law firm Leigh Day, who told this website the true scale of the issue may never be uncovered.

The criteria for what constituted VITT was really only published and made available to the clinical community from the beginning of March (2021).'

Drugs giant AstraZeneca faces a landmark High Court battle over accusations that some doses of its Covid-19 vaccine were 'defective'

Researchers tasked with investigating the adverse reaction believe it occurs due to the modified cold virus lurking in the jab acting like a magnet to a type of protein in the blood called platelet factor 4. Platelet factor 4 is normally used by the body to promote coagulation in the blood, in case of injury. Then, in rare instances, the body's immune system confuses platelet factor 4 with a foreign invader and releases antibodies to attack it in case of 'mistaken identity'. These antibodies then clump together with platelet factor 4, forming the blood clots that have become so heavily linked with the jab, according to their theory

One of those seeking compensation for injuries linked to the AstraZeneca Covid vaccine is father-of-two and IT engineer Jamie Scott (right), His wife Kate (left) said she hoped the newAstraZeneca submission was sign the legal case could be resolved soon

She added that as the complication was only spotted when the jab started being dished out to younger people, cases in older individuals could potentially have slipped under the radar mistaken for problems linked to Covid or other health issues.

'We may never know if there were other injuries that could have been related to the vaccine before March 2021,' she said,

Ms Moore said the youngest of the 51 cases included in the action involves someone just 19-years-old.

She added that many of the younger people affected were key workers or those working with vulnerable, like those staffing Food Banks, who got the jab not to protect themselves from the virus but to help keep other people safe.

Ms Moore added that the firm had beeninundated with people coming forward claiming that they or family member had been affected by theAstraZeneca's jab, but some have had to be turned away.

January 2020: Oxford University scientists start working on a Covid vaccine after the World Health Organization declares the spread of the virus a 'Public Health Emergency of International Concern'

March 2020: Then Prime Minister Boris announced the first national lockdown. That same month, the Government invests 88million in the development of the Oxford vaccine

April 2020: Alongside AstraZeneca, scientists start the first clinical trials of their new vaccine. This involved 1,000 volunteers in the UK

July 2020: Results from phase two trials of AstraZeneca's jab are published

4 December 2020:Covid jab rollout begins with the Pfizer vaccine. Over-80s and care home workers are given priority

8 December 2020:Phase three trial results of theAstraZeneca's jab are published. These are what health officials will use to approve the jab for use in the UK

30 December 2020:AstraZeneca's jab is approved for emergency use

4 January 2021: FirstAstraZeneca doses start being dished out.Brian Pinker, 82, is the first person to receive the jab outside of clinical trials

8 January 2021: Frontline NHS staff start being offered vaccines

8 February 2021: Over-70s are called forward

14 February 2021: Roll-out opens up to Brits with underlying heath conditions, as well as the over-65s

28 February 2021: All over-60s are invited for jabs

11March 2021:European countries start suspending use of the AstraZeneca jab after death of a 60-year-old woman from a blood clot

17 March 2021: Over 50s start being offered Covid jabs in the UK

19 March 2021: Several European countriesreverse decision to suspendAstraZeneca jab after initialinvestigations find no link to reported blood clots

31 March 2021: People living with vulnerable adults are called forward to get a Covid vaccine in the UK, even if they are younger than eligible age groups

7 April 2021:UK restricts the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine to over-30s over a small but statistically significant risk of blood clots in younger people

30 April 2021: Over-40s are called forward for Covid jabs

7 May 2021: Restriction of the AstraZeneca vaccine is widened to include over-40s

August 2022: Government sources say they will not order anymore AstraZeneca Covid vaccines instead focuses on mRNA alternatives

March 2023: Dozens of patients and families launch legal action against AstraZeneca due to

April 2023: Widower of a BBC presenter Lisa Shaw who died after having the vaccine said he has 'no alternative' but to sue AstraZeneca

4 August 2023: Anish Tailor, whose wife Alpa died in March 2021 after receiving her first AstraZeneca dose, filed a product liability claim against AstraZeneca at London's High Court.His lawyer says he has nearly 50 other clients who will formally sue AstraZeneca in the coming months

17 August 2023: IT engineer Jamie Scott, who suffered a brain haemorrhage the day after his first AstraZeneca jab starts a legal case against the company. The law firm representing Mr Scott says it represents around 40 other individuals or bereaved families

'Unfortunately, for a number of reasons, it isnt feasible for us to take on every case we have been approached with,' she said.

She added that for some potential victims time to seek compensation had run out.

For the claims we are bringing, those injured or bereaved have three years from the date of their injury or the death in which to bring a claim so unfortunately in many cases that cut off has now been reached,' she said.

Her comments come afterCambridge-based AstraZeneca, which is contesting the claims, recently acknowledged in a legaldocument submitted to the High Court that its vaccine 'can, in very rare cases, cause TTS'.

TTS is a medical condition where a person suffers blood clots along with a low platelet count. Platelets typically help the blood to clot.

The complication listed as a potential side effect of the jab has previously been called vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia (VITT).

AstraZeneca's admission could lead to pay-outs on a case-by-case basis.

TTS, or vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia (VITT), is thought to be linked to at least 81 deaths in the UK.

Not all are proven, however. And not every family is seeking legal action.

The complication is exceedingly rare, given the millions of doses dished out during the roll-out.

Taxpayers will foot the bill of any potential settlement because ofan indemnity deal AstraZeneca struck with the Government in the darkest days of Covidto get the jabs produced as quickly as possible while the country was paralysed by lockdowns.

It comes just days after the firm reported a revenue exceeding 10billion in the first quarter of 2024, a rise of 19 per cent. Company officials stated it had enjoyed a 'very strong start' to the year.

AstraZeneca said in a statement: '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.

'From the body of evidence in clinical trials and real-world data, the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine has continuously been shown to have an acceptable safety profile and regulators around the world consistently state that the benefits of vaccination outweigh the risks of extremely rare potential side effects.'

The new documents submitted to the court marks a change of language from the previous AstraZeneca submissions made last year, when it claimed that TSS couldn't be caused by its jab 'at a generic level'.

Its new submission also adds that the trigger that causes some people to suffer TSS from theAstraZeneca jab is unknown and can also occur in people independent of any vaccine.

It claims: 'Causation in any individual case will be a matter for expert evidence.'

Similar action to that being taken by British families is understood to be underway in other countries where the AstraZeneca jab was deployed, including in Germany and Italy.

AstraZeneca denies its new submission represents a U-turn onacknowledging its jab can cause TTS in court documents.

Lawyers representing victims and families are suing AstraZeneca under the Consumer Protection Act 1987.

They argue the vaccine was 'a defective product' that was 'not as safe as consumers generally were reasonably entitled to expect'.AstraZeneca has strongly denied these claims.

Health officials first identified cases of VITT linked toAstraZeneca's jab in Europe as early as March 2021, just over two months after the vaccine was first deployed in the UK.

However, it wasn't until April that year that evidence became clear enough that the jab started to be restricted.

Spooked officials first restricted the jab to only people over 30. They then narrowed this to only over-40s inMay 2021.

As the vaccine still worked against Covid, it was still deemed worth giving to older Brits who were at greater risk of death or injury from falling ill with the virus.

About 50million doses of the AstraZeneca jab were dished out in the UK in total.

Official data shows at least81 Brits have died from blood clot complications apparently linked to the AstraZeneca jab, according to figures collected by the UK's drug watchdog, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency.

A further unconfirmed number have been injured and/or disabled.

Further Covid vaccine rollouts have either minimised use of the AstraZeneca jab and/or phased it out entirely in favour of mRNA alternatives like those made by rival pharma giants Pfizer and Moderna.

The graph shows the cumulative number of Covid jabs dished out in the UK since the pandemic began, the percentage of each age group which has had a jab (bottom left) and the number of each Covid vaccine brand dished out

The AstraZeneca vaccine is a genetically engineered common cold virus that used to infect chimpanzees. It has been modified to make it weak so it does not cause illness in people and loaded up with the gene for the coronavirus spike protein, which Covid-19 uses to invade human cells

With health officials not ordering any more doses, this effectively means the jab has all but been withdrawn in the UK.

The risk of TTS following AstraZeneca's Covid vaccine is thought to be in the region of one in 50,000.

However, AstraZeneca's jab is credited with saving some 6million lives globally during the Covid pandemic.

Victims and families seeking compensation that MailOnline has spoken to staunchly insist they believe in the merits of vaccination for public goodand aren't anti-vaxxers.

The reasons why people are taking legal action are complex.

Some who are severely disabled are facing huge ongoing medical costs as well as being out of work. In some cases, their family members are also having to quit employment to provide them round-the-clock care.

Others are, at least in part, pursuing the action as way of seeking justice for either those they have lost or lives that have been completely upturned by their injuries.

Part of the reason some are seeking action is due to what critics have labelled the inadequate or arbitrary nature of the Government's vaccine damage payment scheme.

This policy, which has been around since the 70s, offers people, or their families, a tax-free sum of 120,000, though restrictions apply.

It is only available to the family of those who died orthose left 'severely disabled' defined as being at least 60 per cent disabled, based on evidence from a doctor because of a vaccine.

Established back in 1979, the scheme is meant to reassure people that, in the unlikely event something goes wrong, the state will provide support.

In theory, it is meant to combat vaccine hesitancy and encourage the public to get jabbed from various pathogens helping protect the nation from disease.

But critics have said the scheme is arduous, stingy in terms of total amount payout, and cruel in its 60 per cent disability threshold that leaves people less severely injured with nothing.

As it is not compensation, people who take the payment are still entitled to take legal action against a vaccine manufacturer if they choose, as some people affected by the AstraZeneca jab are.

Campaigners hope the attention brought by the AstraZeneca case will spark a much needed rethink of how the nation's vaccine injured and bereaved are supported.

If Brits are left destitute from vaccine-derived injuries, experts fear this will fuel vaccine hesitancy in the future, risking public health from a variety of preventable diseases.

It could also leave people vulnerable to a potential future pandemic from a novel virus if some refuse the jabs out of fear that they, or their families,could be left financially ruined if something goes wrong.

One of those seeking compensation isfor injuries linked to AstraZeneca's vaccine is father-of-two and IT engineer Jamie Scott.

He was left with a permanent brain injury following a blood clot and the bleed on the brain after getting the vaccine in April 2021. He has been unable to work since.

His wife, Kate,is one of critics of the vaccine damage payment scheme, previously saying:'Even if we do get the 120,000 payment, it's not enough to keep us going for ever. And it's insulting, considering what Jamie has been through.'

Read more:

True toll of AstraZeneca jab complication may NEVER be known, lawyers - Daily Mail

Pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca, in a damning revelation, has admitted that its Covid-19 vaccine 'Covishield' can, in "very rare cases, cause TTS".

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TTS or Thrombosis Thrombocytopenia Syndrome is a rare yetserious condition suffered by some vaccine takers, with symptoms including blood clots and platelet levels.

The revelation can potentially pave the way forAstraZeneca to cough up millions of dollars in legal payout.

Here's all you need to know about the issue.

British-Swedish company AstraZeneca, in conjunction with Oxford, developed its Covid vaccine that is sold under brand names 'Covishield' and 'Vaxzevria' among others.

The vaccine was initially rolled out in 2021, as hundreds and thousands of deaths from the dangerous virus were being reported from across the world.

Also read |AstraZeneca admits in court that its Covid vaccine can in very rare cases, cause TTS

At the time, the rushed rollout was criticised by many in the scientific community and questions were raised about how safe it is to rush vaccine administration.

Now, three years down the line, the question is back as AstraZeneca faces class action suits over claims that its vaccine caused serious injury or death in dozens of cases.

In legal documents submitted to the UK High Court in February, the pharmaceutical giant accepted that its COVID-19 vaccine "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," said the company in the document that is making headlines months after it was submitted.

"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," it added.

Also read |Years-long chill to end? Ron DeSantis and Donald Trump hold private talks in Miami

Previously, lawyers for the pharma giant, in a letter of response sent in May last year, had contended "We do not accept that TTS is caused by the vaccine at a generic level".

The first case against the company was lodged by Jamie Scott, father of two, who was 44 when he received the vaccine.

Ten days after the jab, Scott complained of tiredness and started vomiting. Soon after, his speech got impaired, and he had to be taken to the hospital, where physicians diagnosed him with a suspected case of Vaccine-induced Immune Thrombocytopenia and Thrombosis (VITT).

He survived the ordeal but was left with a permanent brain injury.

Alongside Scott, 51 cases have been lodged against the company, with victims and grieving relatives seeking damages estimated to be worth up to 100 million ($125.36 million).

Lawyers for the victims argue that the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine is "defective" and that its efficacy has been "vastly overstated". AstraZeneca has strongly denied these claims.

As per the World Health Organization, side effects of the AstraZeneca vaccine include typically short-term and self-limiting mild-to-moderate symptoms.

The AstraZeneca vaccine has been associated with a range of common side effects, as reported by those who received it.

These side effects include discomfort at the injection site, a general feeling of being unwell, fatigue, fever, headaches, nausea, muscle and joint pain, swelling, redness at the site of injection, dizziness, sleepiness, excessive sweating, abdominal pain, and instances of fainting.

These, however, happen in less than 1 in 100 people.

Amid reports of adverse effects, including blood clots due to the vaccine, several countries suspended the COVID-19 vaccine's use.

In March 2021, Austria suspended the use of one batch after two people developed blood clots after the vaccine jab and one of them died.

Over time, dozens of nations, many of them in Europe, suspended the use of AstraZenecas COVID-19 vaccine.

This includes Denmark, Ireland, Thailand, the Netherlands, Norway, Iceland, Congo, Bulgaria, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Canada, Sweden, Latvia, Slovenia, Australia, Indonesia, and Malaysia.

(With inputs from agencies)

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AstraZeneca Covid vaccine: Court case, rare side effects, admission of guilt, and more. All you need to know - WION

Oxford-AstraZeneca has always specified the rare side-effects of their COVID-19 vaccine.

Published: 01 May 2024, 10:09 AM IST

Fact-Check: AstraZeneca had listed down these risks of Covishield including TTS since 2021.

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AstraZeneca, a British pharmaceutical company, that manufactured Covishield is in the talks again after they in a court document that their vaccine can cause rare side effects like thrombosis.

The AstraZeneca vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 infection was manufactured in India by the Serum Institute of India.

The company is facing a lawsuit for allegedly causing deaths and health effects due to its vaccine, revealed to the court that their vaccine "can, in very rare cases, cause TTS (Thrombosis Thrombocytopenia Syndrome)."

An archive can be seen here.

Another angle: Social media users are sharing this amid the ongoing 2024 Lok Sabha elections to take a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his party for endorsing and supporting Covishield.

An archive can be seen here.

Some clarity: Both these narratives added in these claims are misleading and taken out of context to added a political angle to a rather scientific information.

How did media outlets misreport this?: The information about side effects of the AstraZeneca vaccine, including TTS, is NOT new.

In 2021, AstraZeneca's packaging insert included all the risks of the vaccine along with the vaccine supplies.

This also clearly mentioned about the risk of TTS is very rare, less than 1/100,000 patients.

This packaging insert was released in October 2021.

This packaging insert was released in October 2021.

The risk of TTS is very rare in less than 1/100,000 patients.

The vaccine carries this rare side-effect is not a new information as claimed.

Apart from this, these inputs have been out there in the public domain since 2021 via research papers, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and World Health Organization (WHO).

CDC shared how TTS has been rarely noticed after COVID-19 vaccination.

It specified that this occurred in "approximately four cases per one million doses administered."

This was shared by CDC about how TTS has been rarely noticed after COVID-19 vaccination.

WHO also corroborated this information in 2021 by specifying that cases of TTS have been reported after vaccination with COVID-19 vaccines, Vaxzevria and Covishield.

This information by WHO was published in 2021.

On 8 April 2021, British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) carried a graphic that explained the risk of COVID-19 vaccines against other risky matters.

It showed that serious risks due to the vaccine's side-effects to a 25 year old has as low chance as 11 in a million whereas the same person dying in a car accident is 38 in a million.

Comparison drawn by BBC for AstraZeneca vaccine's side-effects.

We reached out to AstraZeneca: WebQoof team received a reply from the pharma company via mail where they said, "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."

AstraZeneca also added, "From the body of evidence in clinical trials and real-world data, the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine has continuously been shown to have an acceptable safety profile and regulators around the world consistently state that the benefits of vaccination outweigh the risks of extremely rare potentialsideeffects.

We have also reached out to Serum Institute of India for a comment and will update the copy once we hear back from them.

Conclusion: Clearly, the rare side effects of the vaccine is NOT new information as shared by many.

(Not convinced of a post or information you came across online and want it verified? Send us the details onWhatsApp at 9540511818, or e-mail it to us atwebqoof@thequint.comand we'll fact-check it for you. You can also read all our fact-checked storieshere.)

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Media Outlets Misreport on AstraZeneca COVID-19 Vaccine's Risks of TTS as 'New' - The Quint

Kootenai County in North Idaho is experiencing an outbreak of whooping cough, with 19 cases in just the first four months of the year (compared with nine cases in all of 2021-23).

We shouldnt be surprised.

Idaho has the lowest vaccination rates across the board in the country, according to the most recent numbers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Idahos vaccination rate for five doses of DTaP, which is for the prevention of diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough (or pertussis) was just 81%, the lowest rate in the nation.

The national median rate is 92.2%, according to the CDC, based on numbers from the 2022-23 school year, the latest year available.

Idaho also has the lowest vaccination rate for:

Idaho has some of the most lenient exemption allowances in the country, leading to the highest exemption rate in the nation, at 12.1%. Idaho is one of only 10 states in the country with an exemption rate of higher than 5%.

Idaho law allows parents to exempt their children from getting a vaccine for just about any reason, not only medical or religious beliefs, but also simply for personal beliefs.

That lax exemption policy has led some people to move to Idaho, as documented in an Idaho Statesman story in 2020 about vaccine refugees from California.

Come to Idaho for the vaccine laws; stay for the diseases.

The CDC reported that Idahos exemption rate increased 2.3 percentage points from the 2021-22 school year.

Were going in the wrong direction.

The majority of the cases in Kootenai County are among those 18 years and younger, according to the Panhandle Health District, which covers five counties in North Idaho.

Pertussis can cause serious illness in people of all ages but is most dangerous for babies, according to a press release from the district.

About one in eight infants with pertussis get pneumonia. About one in 100 infected infants will have convulsions, and in rare cases, pertussis can be deadly, especially in infants younger than 1.

Many infants are infected by older siblings, parents or other caregivers who might not know they have pertussis because early symptoms are similar to a cold, according to the health district.

Dr. David Pate, retired CEO of St. Lukes, said hes concerned about Idahos declining immunization rates, particularly in light of recent outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases like whooping cough and measles.

Im concerned about low vaccination rates, both here in Idaho, in our country and even many places around the world, he said in a phone interview. The anti-vaccine movement has made really a lot of progress, regrettably.

He places the blame on doctors and others who have spread misinformation about vaccines, casting doubt on the safety and efficacy of vaccines, especially in the wake of unwarranted attacks on the COVID-19 vaccines.

Those professionals have created a class of vaccine-hesitant, who may not be so virulently anti-vaccine but stay away from vaccines because of the doubts sown about them.

For Gods sake, if theres things that we can do to prevent our children from dying or getting severely ill, why wouldnt we do that? Pate said. And the reason is that we have people out there who would financially benefit from spreading nonsense about vaccines and scaring people.

Part of the battle is that many people today have never seen a case of mumps, measles, rubella, diphtheria, whooping cough or polio and dont know how serious and dangerous these conditions can be.

Pate warns against the dangers of the growing anti-science sentiment, emphasizing the historical importance of vaccines in preventing deadly childhood illnesses.

He cited the recent case of an unvaccinated young man in New York who was left paralyzed after contracting polio from an unvaccinated international traveler, the first known U.S. case of polio in nearly a decade and the first in New York since 1990.

Pate underscores the necessity of vaccines in maintaining herd immunity to protect vulnerable populations, such as infants, the elderly and people who are immunocompromised.

Pate said no medical intervention is without risk, but those risks need to be weighed against the risks of the diseases they prevent.

He used an example of experiencing a medical emergency in your home and needing to be rushed to the hospital. Yes, theres a risk that you could get in a car crash on the way to the hospital, but that doesnt mean you shouldnt use a car to get to the hospital for help.

Chemotherapy and surgery have risks and side effects, but you should still often take those measures to prevent dying from cancer.

All that said, Pate said he advocates for a more compassionate approach to vaccine hesitancy, recognizing that many individuals have been misled by misinformation.

He told me a story, which he relayed on a recent episode of Idaho Matters on Boise State Public Radio, about being approached by a woman who was anti-vaccine, raised by anti-vaccine parents and was raising her kids without vaccines. She told him she had been listening to Pate on the radio for the past four years and, because he was providing factual information without judgment, decided to get her and her family vaccinated.

Now, we just have to do that a few thousand more times.

Pate suggests strategies such as community outreach campaigns and personal testimonies from parents who regret not vaccinating their children as effective ways to combat vaccine hesitancy and protect public health.

Ive been thinking about the Sound the Alarm campaign, in which the American Red Cross works with local fire departments to distribute free smoke alarms, targeting neighborhoods that have a higher rate of home fires or are more vulnerable.

Ive worked in other places where the fire department and Red Cross blanket a neighborhood shortly after a house fire in that neighborhood, recognizing that if there was a faulty smoke detector or none at all, the situation likely would be similar at neighboring houses. Where theres smoke, theres fire, so to speak.

The Sound the Alarm program has installed 2.5 million free smoke alarms in 1 million homes since October 2014, saving an estimated 2,000 lives.

Why not do the same thing for outbreaks, targeting affected counties, even school districts or Census tracts with education campaigns and vaccine clinics where people live.

Katherine Hoyer, communications manager for the Panhandle Health District, said that as soon as the district received reports of the first several cases in this most recent whooping cough outbreak, district officials alerted health care partners to be aware of the potential for more cases with a reminder that vaccination is the best defense against severe disease. They also contacted local schools and child care centers to provide guidance and resources.

Its a good start, but we should do more to ensure these small outbreaks dont become epidemics.

The more ways that we can get these messages out the better, Pate said. Its the people that are spreading the disinformation that we need to get mad at and hold them accountable, not the people that have been tricked.

Read the original here:

Whooping cough outbreak in North Idaho: With low vaccination rates, what can we do? | Opinion - Yahoo! Voices

Updated May 1, 2024, 10:28 IST

Covishield Vaccine Side Effects: British pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca for the first time has admitted in court documents that its vaccine against COVID-19 has the potential to cause TTS, a rare side effect associated with blood clotting.

TTS, also known as thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome causes blood clots and leads to low blood platelet count.

The company is facing more than 50 litigations and has been sued in class action over claims its vaccine caused death and serious injury in dozens of cases.

Read Full Article

In India, millions were jabbed with Covishield made by AstraZeneca in partnership with Serum Institute of India or SII - the world's largest vaccine manufacturer, for the supply of the vaccine to the Indian Government.

According to experts, the side effects are rare, so there should be no panic.

The reported side effect is a rare one and doesn't affect everyone who took the vaccine. So, there isn't a need for panic reaction, but it is advisable to be cautious and approach the healthcare provider if they notice any symptoms related to the syndrome, Dr. Viswesvaran B, Consultant Interventional Pulmonology and Sleep Medicine, Yashoda Hospitals, told Times Now.

Constant patient monitoring and timely symptomatic interventions which may be medical or surgical are crucial for ensuring patient survivability, he added.

However, Dr. Viswesvaran added that the incidence of TTS after the vaccine is not known.

According to studies, isolated reports of TTS from across the world after CVOID-19 vaccinations have been published since 2021.

Incidence of TTS among vaccine recipients appears to be higher even amongst younger individuals and recipients of a first dose and can manifest as clotting at unusual sites and sometimes with hemorrhage, he said.

TTS occurs when your bone marrow does not make enough platelets - blood cells that form blood clots to help stop bleeding.

Those who suffer from this condition do bleed a lot, and it becomes hard to stop the condition. According to doctors, thrombocytopenia affects people with certain medical conditions like autoimmune diseases or those who regularly take certain medications.

People with severe TTS have an increased risk of developing the following conditions:

People with severe TTS have an increased risk of developing the following conditions:

Thrombocytopenia causes gastrointestinal bleeding or bleeding in your brain, which can be fatal

Thrombocytopenia can also decrease the amount of blood flow to your heart, leading to a heart attack

Experts say the normal platelet count in adults ranges from 1,50,000-4,50,000 platelets per microliter of blood. Thrombocytopenia levels are:

Even though a few people with mild cases do not have any symptoms, others include:

Read the rest here:

Covishield Vaccine Side Effects: Should You Be Worried If You Took AstraZeneca COVID-19 Vaccine? Here's What T - Times Now