A petition filed in the Supreme Court has urged the constitution of an expert medical panel to investigate the risk factors associated with the Covishield vaccine. The petition comes after pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca admitted in U.K. court documents that its vaccine could potentially cause Thrombosis with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome (TTS). Highlighting concerns over the safety of Covishield, the petition raised alarms about the increased instances of heart attacks and sudden collapses, particularly among youngsters, post-vaccination.
The plea pointed out that AstraZeneca’s vaccine, which was manufactured as Covishield in India, has been linked to low platelet counts and the formation of blood clots. The petitioner, advocate Vishal Tiwari, urged the formation of a medical panel headed by an AIIMS expert and supervised by a retired Supreme Court judge to investigate these risk factors. Additionally, the petition sought the establishment of a ‘Vaccine Damage Payment System’ for citizens or families affected by adverse reactions to the vaccine and called for strict action against the circulation of spurious vaccines.