Covishield, Covaxin don't pose blood clot risk: Report

A government commiittee overseeing safety and risk of blood clots after several cases of blood clots were reported found "no unusual bleeding or clotting manifestations either with Covishield or Covaxin."

Dr NK Arora, executive director of the INCLEN Trust and an advisor to the National Adverse Events Following Immunization (AEFI) Committee looking into this issue told The Indian Express that there was no abnormal increase in clotting among the 412 samples the committee studied.

Covishield is Serum Institute of India’s version of the coronavirus vaccine developed by AstraZeneca in collaboration with the University of Oxford. Covaxin, India's completely homegrown vaccine in manufactured by Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech.

Read | Here's why interval between Covishield vaccine doses raised to eight weeks

The findings have been submitted to the National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration for Covid-19 (NEGVAC) and a method to ensure faster turnaround time between the reporting of an AEFI and its investigation is also in the works, the publication quoted Dr Arora as saying,

More than a dozen European countries, including Germany and France, halted use of the vaccine earlier this month after reports linked it to a rare blood clotting disorder in a very small number of people.

Germany and France resumed inoculations after the EU's drug regulator said last week it was safe but an opinion poll on Monday showed Europeans remained sceptical about its safety.

Read more | US health officials question results from AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine trial hours after they’re released

Hailed as a milestone in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic when it emerged as a vaccine contender last year, the AstraZeneca shot has been dogged by doubts over its efficacy, dosing regimen and possible side effects. After the EU regulator and WHO reaffirmed that the vaccine posed no unusual clotting risks, data from trials in Chile, Peru and the United States found the vaccine was 79% effective in preventing symptomatic COVID-19 and, crucially, posed no increased risk of blood clots, regulators said on Monday.

However, in a major development, American federal health officials on Tuesday said that AstraZeneca's Covid-19 vaccine may have included “outdated information” and that could mean the company provided an incomplete view of efficacy data.

Read | AstraZeneca US trial data shows Covid-19 vaccine 79% effective, safe

A spokesperson from the drug company said Tuesday it was “looking into it.”

AstraZeneca reported Monday that its Covid-19 vaccine provided strong protection among adults of all ages in a long-anticipated US study, a finding that some experts hoped would help rebuild public confidence in the shot around the world and move it a step closer to clearance.

Also Read | Europe resumes AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccinations

Even before this latest stumble, AstraZeneca had made missteps in reporting data and faced a blood clot scare. Health officials worried that those past issues could cause lasting harm to the shot that is key to global efforts to stop the pandemic and undermine vaccine confidence more broadly.

(With agency inputs)