Over 1.7 billion doses of Covishield were administered in India till date.
AstraZeneca has been fighting several lawsuits against Covishield vaccines, as it already claimed many lives across the globe. The UK-based pharma company AstraZeneca collaborated with the Serum Institute of India (SII) to produce and provide the Covishield vaccine worldwide. The drugmaker admitted in a recent legal document that its Covid vaccines can cause Thrombosis Thrombocytopenia Syndrome (TTS) in rare cases. Following that, AstraZeneca started withdrawing the vaccines from the market citing “surplus of available updated vaccines” and “decline in demand” from May 7, 2024.
Denmark was the first country to ban this vaccine in 2021 itself, which is followed by Thailand, Ireland, the Netherlands, France, Germany, Bulgaria, Iceland, Congo, Canada, and Sweden. Even Malaysia, Indonesia, and Australia banned Covishield later.
Amidst rising concerns, we will debunk some misconceptions about AstraZeneca’s vaccines.
Fact: The WHO Global Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety (WHO GACVS) has found that the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines including Vaxzevria and Covishield are effective against serious side effects of COVID-19 infection. Every vaccine comes with few side effects. The most common side effects are fever, headache and nausea. Recently, the pharma giant mentioned in a legal document about rare side effect as Thrombosis Thrombocytopenia Syndrome (TTS) which is characterized by blood clotting and low platelet counts. As per recent reports, TTS can happen only four per million adults, so, nothing to worry about it if you have taken the jab. Meanwhile, you should be on annual medical checkup.
Fact: This is utterly non-scientific! There was a rumour that AstraZeneca was using Tuna and Sharks to manufacture Covishield, which is totally false and baseless. The ingredients if the vaccines are clearly mentioned on the labels. Vaccines are tested multiple times and go through rigorous scientific preclinical and clinical trials followed by certification processes. The World Health Organisation (WHO) and several national regulatory agencies ensured that ingredients used in Covishield are safe and effective.
Fact: This is another long-standing myth about Covishield, which is false. Probably this started from the concerns shown by a German researcher, who asked for multiple testing before administration to ensure unaltered fertility potential among patients. However, there is no side effects on fertility on people administered with Covishield. The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists has issued a statement: “There is no evidence or biological mechanism linking the vaccines to infertility.”
Fact: The AstraZeneca vaccine Covishield is developed from a harmless Covid-19 virus carrying “a small piece of DNA encoding the instructions to make the coronavirus spike protein,” as mentioned in the scientific documents submitted to court. This type of viruses don't have the potential to alter the DNA of cells. On the other hand, the vaccine DNA has been engineered in such a manner that cannot replicate or integrate into your genes.
Fact: There is no vaccine which can give 100% protection against any disease. So don't become complacent about your health after getting the Covishield jab. Even today, covid cases are reported globally. All we need is extra precautions including wearing mask in public places, maintaining social distance and frequent sanitization.
The devastating pandemic caused by Covid-19 that claimed over 70 lakhs people globally. The Supreme Court of India will soon hear a petition about the side effects associated with Covishield.
