UK
AstraZeneca reverses stance, acknowledges Covishield’s rare side effect per The Telegraph (UK). Court documents suggest the vaccine may induce rare instances of blood clots and low platelet count.
Covishield, a product of collaboration between AstraZeneca and Oxford University during the pandemic. It was manufactured by the Serum Institute of India and widely distributed across the nation.
Currently embroiled in a class action lawsuit in the UK. AstraZeneca faces allegations that the vaccine has contributed to deaths and severe injuries in numerous cases. In the UK High Court, victims in up to 51 cases are seeking damages totaling £100 million. Jamie Scott, the initial complainant, asserts that he sustained a permanent brain injury due to a blood clot shortly after receiving the vaccine in April 2021. He claims this injury has rendered him unable to work. His survival was doubted by hospital staff on multiple occasions, as relayed by his wife.
While contesting these claims, AstraZeneca conceded in a court document in February. That Covishield can lead to “TTS” (Thrombosis with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome) in exceedingly rare instances, causing blood clots and decreased platelet count.
In its legal defence against Scott’s claim, AstraZeneca stated, “It is admitted that the AZ vaccine can, in very rare cases, cause TTS. The causal mechanism is not known…Further, TTS can also occur in the absence of the AZ vaccine (or any vaccine). Causation in any individual case will be a matter for expert evidence,” potentially opening the door to compensation for affected individuals and their families.
The recent admission contradicts the 2023 stance, denying vaccine-caused TTS, conveyed to Jamie Scott’s legal team.
AstraZeneca denies lawyers’ claims of vaccine defectiveness and insists its efficacy hasn’t been exaggerated.
AstraZeneca plc, a British-Swedish multinational in pharmaceuticals and biotechnology, has its headquarters at the Cambridge Biomedical Campus in England.
