The UK-headquartered pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca’s admission that in very rare cases its Covid vaccine, sold as Covishield in India, can cause blood clot-related side effects. This revelation made in the court papers has caused unease among citizens across the country, including Goa, on the back of rising heart failure cases and other cardiac issues reported after the pandemic.
The company facing 51 lawsuits, in a legal document submitted to the High Court in London for the first time admitted that the vaccine may cause Thrombosis (blood clotting with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome (insufficiency of platelets). The petitioners attached medical evidence and death certificates to support their contention that the vaccine caused deaths or other medical conditions.
The development has had a ripple effect across the world and has been felt more in India as the country heads into an important election. In India, over 175 crore Covishield doses were administered to people, and which is why political parties across the spectrum have pounced on the government holding it responsible for exposing citizens to these life-threatening risks.
The fact of the matter is that most vaccines have side effects in varying degrees, including anti-rabbies and HIN1 shots. Moreover, there is a printed disclosure and a forewarning by producers about possible side effects, and the information on side effects has always been in the public domain. To assume that the side effects of Covishield were not known to the public is out of place.
Secondly, there are proper clinical trials followed and protocols adopted before rolling out the vaccine to the public. The Directorate General of Health Services, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, and the Central government oversee the Central Drug Standard Control Organization (CDSCO), a national regulator that is led by the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI). There are guidelines issues and FAQs answered.
In hindsight, the side effects of vaccines may look monstrous, even if they are rare, but back then when the world was in the grip of the virus, these very vaccines seemed to be the only hope, and yes, they saved lives. Crores and crores of people have been shielded at a time when there was virtually no other defence against the marauding virus. All those light shows and chiming of utensils were turning futile. Saving lives was the topmost priority. Take, for example, over three lakh people died in the US during that time for refusing to take the vaccination.
Having said this, the entire vaccination programme could have been handled better, even if there is an argument that it happened against the backdrop of an infuriating hurry. Governments and pharmaceutical companies across the world should have created awareness about the benefits and the side effects of vaccines. In the absence of medical knowledge, the common citizen is bound by an understanding that there was a trial-and-error approach and that is where linkages to deaths happen.
There is nothing wrong with introspecting and seeking accountability. However, while doing so, one must understand the larger implications of the killer virus and the helplessness that prevailed when the world was in chaos. The side effect controversy must be handled with utmost sensitivity and any politicisation must stop immediately. Authorities must get to the bottom of the issue via a thorough probe.
