AstraZeneca admits Covishield jab raises TTS risk: Here is everything to know

Thrombosis Thrombocytopenia Syndrome TTS a blood clot disorder is a rare side effect of AstraZenecarsquos Covid vaccine and the benefits far outweigh the risks of the jab said doctors here on TuesdayThis comes after reports said that AstraZeneca has for the first time accepted in court documents that its vaccine developed in partnership with Oxford University can raise the risk of a rare and serious blood clotThe OxfordAstraZeneca Covid vaccine sold as Covishield in India and Vaxzevria in Europe is a viral vector vaccine developed using the modified chimpanzee adenovirus ChAdOx1Covishield manufactured and marketed in India in partnership with Serum Institute of India SII was widely administered in the country to almost 90 per cent of the Indian populationThrombotic Thrombocytopenic Syndrome TTS is one of the rare but very serious adverse effects that has happened as part of Vaccineinduced Immune Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura VITTP The incidence has been as low as one in 50000 0002 per cent but in a huge population the number becomes sizeable infectious disease expert Dr Ishwar Gilada told IANSTTS is a very rare condition resulting from an abnormal immune response Although it has several causes it has also been linked with adenovirus vector vaccines and the WHO published a report on May 27 2021 about it Dr Rajeev Jayadevan cochairman of the Indian Medical Associationrsquos National Covid19 Task Force told IANSWhat is the caseThe BritishSwedish multinational pharmaceutical company has admitted for the first time in the UK court documents that its Covid vaccine can cause a rare blood clot risk the Telegraph reportedAbout 51 cases have been lodged in the UK High Court against the pharmaceutical giant over claims that its Covid vaccine caused death and serious injuryThe victims and grieving relatives have sought damages estimated to be worth up to 100 million pounds the report saidAlthough AstraZeneca is contesting the claims it has accepted in a legal document submitted to the High Court in February that its Covid vaccine can in very rare cases cause TTS the report saidTTS causes people to have blood clots and a low blood platelet countAstraZenecarsquos Covid vaccine and link to TTSIn India almost 90 per cent of people who received Covid vaccine received the AstraZeneca vaccine which in India is called Covishield It is made from a harmless cold virus which is from chimpanzees and is called adenovirusOnce this virus is genetically modified or engineered to match the SARSCoV2 a causative organism for Covid19 this works on a spike protein So the vaccine is incorporated with the S spike protein genetic sequence said Dr Gilada Secretary General Peoples Health OrganisationIndia MumbaiExplaining the mechanism of potential TTS risk he said that the vaccine is injected in the arm which is in the deltoid muscle However ldquosometimes instead of just getting into muscles it also enters the bloodstream Once it enters the bloodstream the adenovirus in the vaccines acts like a magnet with a special affinity to a type of protein in the blood called platelet factor 4 PF4rdquo the doctor saidldquoWhile PF4 is normally used by the body to promote coagulation in blood in rare instances the bodys immune system confuses it as a foreign body or foreign invader and then releases antibodies to attack it called mistaken identityIt is theorised that such antibodies then react and clump together with PF4 forming the blood clots that have become so heavily linked with the vaccine Such clots in the brain and heart can cause disastrous adverse effects the doctor saidShould all Covishield vaccine takers be worriedNo we need not because it has happened to a very few people Dr Gilada saidThe difficulty is to distinguish between the complications that are caused by Covid itself or longCovid or the vaccine That remains debatable and indistinguishable for the scientific community as also the legal fraternity he addedImportantly Dr Jayadevan said People who are vaccinated have an overall lower risk of death from Covid as well as complications such as postCovid heart attacks and strokes afterwardsAlthough there are extremely rare serious side effects for vaccines the benefits far outweigh the risks Covid vaccines have prevented hundreds of thousands of people from dying For example in the US 232000318000 people have died from Covid due to refusal to vaccinate from disproportionate fear of vaccination he addedThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever