Indian authorities have reaffirmed that both the COVID-19 vaccines presently being used in the country - Covaxin and Covishield - are safe and do not cause blood clots in beneficiaries. According to reports, a high level government panel had concluded that the two did not pose any increased risk of blood clotting.
The AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine is being manufactured in India by the Pune-based Serum Institute and has been named Covishield. Covaxin is a homegrown vaccine made by Bharat Biotech and ICMR. Reportedly, the National Adverse Events Following Immunization Committee had analysed over 400 major adverse reactions or side effects to contend that there is no unusual bleeding or clotting manifestations to come to their conclusion.
Over the last few weeks, there has been a lot said and written about the possible complications that the AstraZeneca-Oxford COVID-19 vaccine might pose. While several European nations had temporarily revoked usage of the vaccine, the European Union's drug regulator has recently declared the vaccine safe and with no obvious links to a few dozen cases.
Use of the vaccine had been halted earlier this month amid reports of "serious cases of blood clots" amid those who had been inoculated. The World Health Organisation however had insisted that the data did not support the fears that this vaccine had caused any deaths. After a brief hiatus, the bans have been partially revoked and many countries have now restarted innoculation, albeit with a few caveats.
In France for example, the vaccine was being given only to people aged 55 and older. Some of the EU nations are yet to wholly reverse the restrictions. Denmark, the first country to pause using AstraZeneca, had said last week that it would wait another week before deciding whether to resume. A day after the European Medicines Agency (EMA) said that vaccine was safe for use, the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare had announced a one-week suspension of the vaccine in the country.
