Covishield Scrutiny: Rare But Severe Side Effects Spark Controversy

During the COVID-19 spread, researchers and scientists developed vaccines to combat the virus and its various strains in a race against time. All medicines have side effects, and the COVID-19 vaccines were no exception. However, the urgency to prevent the rapid and fatal spread of the virus overshadowed the downsides of these vaccines to some extent.

Recently, the developer and manufacturer of the Covishield vaccine, AstraZeneca and Oxford University, admitted during a trial that in rare cases, it could cause Thrombosis with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome (TTS). TTS is a rare but serious condition in which an individual can develop blood clots along with a low platelet count. The clots affect blood supply to blood vessels, while the low platelet count prevents blood from clotting to stop bleeding. TTS is also known as vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia (VITT).

The same vaccine was marketed in India under the name Covishield; the Serum Institute of India (SII) manufactured it in the country and other low-income countries. According to government data, 1.7 billion doses of the vaccine were administered in India by April 2024. On the SII website, under the very rare side effects, the following was listed: “Major blood clots in combination with low levels of blood platelets (thrombocytopenia) have been observed with a frequency of less than 1 in 100,000 vaccinated individuals. Low blood platelets (thrombocytopenia).”

While the controversy around the vaccine raises concerns, the situation would have been worse if people were not inoculated. To contain the infection from spreading vaccination was the only way. According to government data more than 5 lakh people have died from Covid; some, including the WHO, say the number is much higher than this. One can imagine the devastation had people not been inoculated.

After the news broke about the rare but real side effects of Covishield, a petition was filed in the Supreme Court to investigate the matter. Filed by an advocate, the plea seeks a medical expert panel to examine the vaccine’s side effects. The petitioner also seeks a system through which people who have suffered adverse effects or those who have lost family members due to the vaccine can be compensated.

When India launched the world’s largest vaccine drive in January 2021, one criticism the Union government faced was that every vaccine certificate bore Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s image. The opposition accused him of taking advantage of the situation. The certificate was a mandatory travel document when the pandemic was at its peak. There were a few instances when PM Modi’s image on the certificates caused confusion for Indians abroad, as immigration officers suspected the certificates were fraudulent since the image didn’t match the traveler. However, since the Covishield side effects have come to light, the image from the vaccination e-certificates has suddenly disappeared.

In hindsight, the pandemic and the world’s efforts to contain it have shown that extreme positions in any situation can have consequences. While the hesitation, or in some cases outright refusal, to take the vaccine was and is dangerous for society, failing to adequately advertise the side effects can also have detrimental outcomes. COVID-19 vaccines, even during the rapid spread, should have been presented with a caveat.