Covishield safe, Covid-19 vaccination drive to go on with vigour: Govt

Top WHO official calls blood clots in AstraZeneca jab 'very rare'

Even as concerns rise across the globe on the safety of the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine, India has found it safe, saying the nationwide inoculation drive can continue. The AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine — called Covishield in India — is manufactured in the country by Pune-based Serum Institute of India, the world’s largest vaccine maker by volume. 

A senior member of the national Adverse Events Follo­wing Immunisation (AEFI) committee said that of the 38 autopsy reports they have studied of people who died after vaccination, they found nothing to link the deaths or adverse events to vaccination. “There are 71 deaths. We have received 38 autopsy reports so far. There is nothing to suggest that these were linked to vaccination,” said the person who has been a part of the AEFI committee since 2008. 

The person quoted above also said that review of adverse events post-vaccination is an ongoing process and is followed for each and every vaccine that is administered in the country like polio, measles etc. “For Covishield, and even Covaxin, this review would continue. We expect to come out with a detailed review report in a day or two,” the person said.

Meanwhile, V K Paul, member-health, NITI Aayog, said that while there were concerns regarding the relation of Astra Zeneca with thrombotic events, the European Medical Agency (EMA) has said that pausing the vaccination programme was a precautionary measure. “India’s own group has been seized with this issue for the last few days and is tracking the matter in a systematic manner. We have no signal of concern in this regard. 

Our programme with Covishield vaccination will go on with full vigour,” Paul said during the weekly briefing on the Covid-19 situation in India.

Paul also said that the World Health Organization (WHO) has said while the investigation into this issue should go one, the scaling up of vaccines should not be suspended. “Their advice is - go on,” Paul said.  “We are mindful of the fact to address this concern based on the data available to us. We are also watching the information being made.”

Dr Kate O'Brien, who heads WHO's department of immunisations and vaccine, said on Wednesday that even if the health authorities found a link between blood clots and the AstraZeneca vaccine, such cases are “very rare”. A WHO committee is looking into the issue.  

The UN health agency and the EMA are investigating the possibility of a link between blood clots and the AstraZeneca shots.

Several European nations including France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, Iceland, Austria, Est­onia, Bulgaria, Romania, Est­onia, Lithuania, Luxem­bourg, and Latvia have temporarily paused the use of the vaccine as precautionary me­a­sures. They are awaiting the results of the EMA investigation.

Earlier this week AstraZeneca said that after a ‘careful review’ of available safety data of more than 17 million people vaccinated in the EU and UK, the vaccine has shown no evidence of an increased risk of pulmonary embolism, deep vein thrombosis or thrombocytopenia.

A senior Mumbai-based doctor, who is part of the state Covid-19 task force and is monitoring the vaccination process closely, said that some cases of blood clots are common among the citizens.