• AstraZeneca reaffirms Covid vaccine safety amid rare side effect concerns

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    AstraZeneca reaffirms Covid vaccine safety amid rare side effect concerns

    The pharmaceutical manufacturer asserts that substantial data from clinical trials and empirical evidence reliably substantiate the vaccine's safety and effectiveness, notwithstanding these infrequent incidents. 

    Digital Desk: AstraZeneca, the pharmaceutical giant, reiterated the overall safety profile of the COVID-19 vaccination while emphasizing its commitment to patient safety in the wake of recent concerns about rare adverse effects. 

    A representative for AstraZeneca said, "We are sorry for anyone who has experienced a loved one's death or who has reported health issues. Patient safety is our top responsibility, and all medications, including vaccines, must be used safely. To that end, regulatory bodies have strict guidelines." 

    Following the pharmaceutical manufacturer AstraZeneca's recent admission that Covishield and Vaxzevria "may, in very rare cases, cause Thrombosis Thrombocytopenia Syndrome (TTS)," this has happened. 

    The pharmaceutical manufacturer asserts that substantial data from clinical trials and empirical evidence reliably substantiate the vaccine's safety and effectiveness, notwithstanding these infrequent incidents. 

    Regulators everywhere still maintain that vaccinations are more beneficial than dangerous when it comes to incredibly uncommon adverse effects. 

    As per many reports in UK media, AstraZeneca has acknowledged this in court filings related to a lawsuit that claims the vaccine, which was created in collaboration with the University of Oxford, resulted in fatalities and severe injuries in numerous cases.

    The COVID-19 vaccine, Covishield, was created by the Serum Institute of India without using an mRNA platform. The viral vector platform has been used in its preparation. A chimpanzee adenovirus known as ChAdOx1 has been altered in the vaccination to introduce the COVID-19 spike protein into human cells. This cold virus can train the immune system to build a defense against similar viruses, but it is essentially incapable of infecting the recipient. 

     Vaccinations against viruses such as Ebola were created using the same approach. 

    Notably, in 2023, TTS was identified as a novel adverse event after immunization in people who received COVID-19 non-replicant adenovirus vector-based vaccinations, according to a report published by the World Health Organization (WHO).

    This refers to the AstraZeneca COVID-19 ChAdOx-1 vaccine and the Johnson & Johnson (J & J) Janssen COVID-19 Ad26.COV2-S vaccines.

    "TTS is a serious and life-threatening adverse event. WHO has issued this interim emergency guidance to increase awareness about TTS in the context of COVID-19 vaccination and help healthcare providers in the assessment and management of potential TTS cases," the 2023 statement by WHO read.