AstraZeneca, the British pharmaceutical company has acknowledged that its COVID-19 vaccine can produce a rare side effect known as Thrombosis with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome (TTS).
TTS is characterized by the presence of blood clots (thrombosis) as well as reduced platelet levels (thrombocytopenia), which are crucial for blood clotting. It frequently involves clots in odd places, such as the brain (cerebral venous sinus thrombosis) or abdomen.
TTS Symptoms might include severe or chronic headaches, blurred vision, shortness of breath, chest pain, limb swelling, persistent abdomen pain, and easy bruising or tiny blood spots under the skin outside of the injection site.
“Covishield can cause, in rare cases, a condition that leads to blood clots and low platelet count”, AstraZeneca said in court documents.
Covishield, which was developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University during the pandemic, was manufactured by the Serum Institute of India and widely distributed throughout the country.
The vaccine maker is facing a lawsuit in the United Kingdom over allegations that its vaccine caused deaths and serious disabilities in many cases. Victims in as many as 51 lawsuits before the UK High Court are demanding damages up to 100 million pounds.
The UK government, which previously protected AstraZeneca from legal action, has yet to intervene in the case.
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