Disclosed all rare to very rare side-effects of Covid vaccine ‘Covishield’ since ’21: SII – The Times of India

SII disclosed Covishield's rare side-effects in 2021, AstraZeneca withdrew global vaccine due to surplus, TTS. India halted manufa... Read More SII disclosed Covishield's rare side-effects in 2021, AstraZeneca withdrew global vaccine due to surplus, TTS. India halted manufacturing, faced mutant strains. Health experts note TTS involves blood clots, low platelet counts in major vessels. Read Less PUNE: City-based Serum Institute of India (SII) on Wednesday said it had disclosed all rare to very rare side-effects of Covid-19 vaccine, supplied under the name Covishield, in the packaging insert in 2021 itself. Serum Institute's statement follows UK-based drug major AstraZeneca's move to withdraw its Covid-19 vaccine globally because of a "surplus of available updated vaccines" since the Covid-19 pandemic. The drug major had earlier admitted to a UK court that its vaccine, in very rare cases, could cause a side-effect called thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS). AstraZeneca's Covid-19 vaccine formula was used by SII to manufacture Covishield. "With India achieving high vaccination rates in 2021 and 2022, coupled with the emergence of new mutant variant strains, the demand for previous vaccines diminished significantly. Consequently, since Dec 2021, we have stopped the manufacturing and supply of additional doses of Covishield," a statement issued by SII stated. On the potential side-effects of the vaccine, the Serum Institute of India statement stated that the firm fully understood the concerns. "From the outset, we have disclosed all rare to very rare side effects, including thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome [TTS], in the packaging insert in 2021," the statement read. TTS refers to the formation of blood clots with low platelet counts. The condition is rare, but usually serious, particularly when the blood clot happens in major vessels, health experts said. Steffy Thevar is a Pune-based senior correspondent working for th... Read More Steffy Thevar is a Pune-based senior correspondent working for the Times of India. She writes on health, urban infrastructure and gender parity issues. She has worked in Mumbai for three years and shifted to Pune and covered the Covid19 pandemic. She had completed her masters in Journalism and Mass Communication from Savitribai Phule Pune University's department of Mass Communication and Journalism. She also writes on a range of issues including housing, human rights and environment.Read Less

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Disclosed all rare to very rare side-effects of Covid vaccine 'Covishield' since '21: SII - The Times of India