Amid concerns over Covishield, India studies adverse events

Amid concerns over dangerous side-effects of the Oxford's COVID-19 vaccine, India is evaluating all serious adverse events post-vaccination to determine the causality aspects of Covishield and Covaxin, an expert associated with the process said on Saturday.

His comments came in the backdrop of some European countries suspending the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine Covishield over fears that it may be causing dangerous blood clots in some people.

India has reported 234 adverse events following immunisation (AEFIs), including 71 deaths, for both the vaccines till Friday, said Dr N K Arora, an advisor to the national AEFI committee.

Manufactured in India by the Serum Institute of India (SII), the Oxford vaccine is one of the two vaccines being used in India currently, the other being Covaxin made by domestic company Bharat Biotech.

"Till Friday, 234 AEFI's (adverse events following immunisation) (for both the vaccines) including 71 deaths have been reported.

"The district and state level initial investigations have found no causal relationship vaccine and these events," Arora, an advisor to the national AEFI committee, told PTI.

"The national AEFI is reviewing these cases again for a final causality assessment," he said.

"No specific vaccine is being looked at. We are carrying out a detailed evaluation of all the serious adverse events including deaths and hospitalisations following vaccination to determine the causality aspect for the both vaccines-- Covishield and Covaxin. If any cause of concern emerges, it will be conveyed," Dr Arora said.

The World Health Organisation had on Friday said there was no reason to stop using the vaccine as several countries suspended the use amid concerns of blood clotting.

The WHO's global advisory committee on vaccine safety is presently reviewing the reports.