Written By: Longjam Dineshwori | Updated : June 12, 2021 11:04 AM IST
Rare blood clots have been documented in people who have received Astrazeneca Vaccine.
Italy on Friday suspended the use of a vaccine developed by British-Swedish pharmaceutical firm AstraZeneca and Oxford University for people under 60 years old following the death of a young woman after receiving the shot. Popularly known as Oxford AstraZeneca COVID 19 vaccine or AstraZeneca vaccine, it is one of the Covid-19 vaccines that have been granted Emergency Use Listing (EUL ) by the World Health Organization (WHO) for active immunisation to prevent COVID-19 in individuals 18 years of age and older. In India, this vaccine is locally manufactured and distributed by Serum Institute of India (SII) under the brand name 'Covishield'.
According to a report by Xinhua news agency, an 18-year-old woman died of a blood clot Thursday after receiving an initial dose of AstraZeneca vaccine on May 25. It is said that the woman had autoimmune thrombocytopenia (low blood platelet count) and was on double hormone therapy, but whether she had disclosed this information during the vaccination procedure is being investigated.
The country's health officials announced the suspension of AstraZeneca vaccine for under-60s at a weekly press conference on the Covid-19 pandemic.
"The epidemiological scenario has changed, and so has the relationship between the benefits of vaccination and the potential risk of unusual blood clots," Franco Locatelli, coordinator of the Technical Scientific Committee (CTS) which gives advice to the Italian government on how to handle the pandemic, said at the press conference, as quoted by IANS.
Further, the Committee recommends that people under 60 who received an initial dose of AstraZeneca vaccine be given a different vaccine for their second dose.
Australia on Thursday reported second death 'likely' due a rare blood clotting syndrome linked to the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine. The deceased, a 52-year-old woman from New South Wales, had a blood clot in the brain known as a cerebral venous sinus thrombosis, Australia's drugs regulator Therapeutic Goods Administration said in a statement on Thursday.
It is reported to be the second death in Australia likely linked to thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS). This rare condition is seen specifically in people who have received the AstraZeneca vaccine, particularly those who have blood clots and low platelet counts. Earlier in April, a 48-year-old woman had died with this rare condition after getting the vaccine in Australia.
The AstraZeneca Covid vaccine (called Covishield) is one of three vaccines granted emergency approval in India and the most widely used shot in the country. However, the Union health ministry last month said that the number of blood clot cases in people who received Covishield in India was "minuscule". The ministry also released a list of suspected blood clot symptoms to watch out for after taking Covishield. The symptoms mentioned in list include:
These symptoms may occur within 20 days of taking the shot, the ministry said.
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