Covishield Vaccine Safety Concerns Prompt Petition in Supreme Court
A petition has been filed in the Supreme Court of India seeking the formation of a medical expert panel to study the Covishield vaccine and examine its potential side effects. This comes in the wake of the UK pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca admitting that its COVID-19 vaccine could cause blood clot-related side effects in rare cases.
The petitioner, Vishal Tiwari, argues that over 175 crore doses of Covishield have been administered in India based on government assurances of its safety. However, recent revelations in the UK raise concerns about potential side effects.
AstraZeneca, facing a class-action lawsuit in the UK for alleged vaccine-related deaths and injuries, has acknowledged that its vaccine can cause Thrombosis with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome (TTS), a condition with blood clots and low platelet count, in rare cases.
The petition highlights the case of Jamie Scott, a UK citizen who suffered a permanent brain injury after receiving the AstraZeneca vaccine. The lawsuit filed by Scott and similar cases in the UK seek damages totaling up to £100 million.
In light of these developments, the petition urges the Supreme Court to establish a medical expert panel to investigate Covishield's side effects and risk factors. It also calls for the implementation of a vaccine damage payment system for those severely disabled due to COVID-19 vaccination and to provide compensation to people who suffered severe disabilities or death due to vaccine side effects.
The plea argues that a system like the UK's vaccine damage payment scheme is necessary to support those who experience serious side effects.