AstraZeneca- Reports of blood clots

AstraZeneca- Reports of blood clots

Data of global Covid-19 vaccination

A little over 392 million doses of vaccine have been administered globally, according to the Bloomberg Vaccine Tracker, with India accounting for around 9% of them.

Reports of blood clot

In the last week, there have been a flurry of reports from Europe, of blood clots developing in a very small fraction of those vaccinated and leading to a cascade of European countries announcing a temporary halt to their vaccination programmes involving the AstraZeneca (AZ) vaccine.
WHO and the European Medicines Agency have underlined that there is no causal link between vaccines and the occurrence of such clots.
In fact, there are less than 40 such occurrences reported so far, and that is much below the background of about 1,000 to 2,000 blood clots every single day in the general population, say studies based on the U.S. population.

Note:

By far the largest user of the AstraZeneca vaccine is India. India is using two vaccines -- the AstraZeneca (a.k.a COVISHIELD)shot made by Serum Institute of India, and another one by Indian vaccine maker Bharat Biotech (COVAXIN/PFIZER) -- to immunize its vast population

These organisations advocate that the ongoing vaccination drives continue, even accelerate, as the rate of vaccination is not keeping pace with what is required to control the pandemic.

Issues with the approved Covid vaccines

The AZ, Pfizer and Moderna vaccines have been released under emergency use authorisations, meaning that the entire profile of risks associated with them have not been thoroughly studied.
History is replete with instances of vaccines that have been taken off even years after approval after a slight increase in untoward complications.
As of now, the risk of dying from serious COVID-19 far outweighs that from vaccine reactions and it is such a calculation that weighs on the minds of regulators before approving vaccines.
Unlike drugs administered to the sick, vaccines have a higher bar of proving themselves safe as they are given to the healthy.
Regulators of all countries rely on the experiences of others, as exemplified in India alone where it was AZ trials in the United Kingdom that paved the way for approval in India.
Therefore, a warning in one country must immediately activate the sensors in another.
India has a long experience with vaccinations as well as expertise in evaluating risk; however, transparency and prompt data sharing, thereby building public trust, is not one of its strong suits.
This was evidenced by the approval of vaccines in spite of scant efficacy data.
There is almost no information by the National Committee on Adverse Events Following Immunisation on the nature of serious adverse events following immunisation.
- This is in contrast to the frequent analyses shared by organisations such as the U.S. Centre for Disease Control and Prevention on adverse events.

Way ahead

Public trust is a key ingredient to successful vaccination programmes and this can be only earned by the government’s zealous attention to allaying concerns.

What is Vaccination hesitancy ?

Refers to delay in acceptance or refusal of vaccines despite

availability of vaccine services.

Is complex and context specific varying across time, place and vaccines.
Is influenced by factors such as complacency, convenience and confidence.

Source: TH

Join Our Telegram

National Capital Territory of Delhi Bill, 2021

Project RE-HAB-National Honey Mission

Oceanic Anoxic Event 1a and MASS EXTINCTION

25 Dec, 24
SHARE

Oceanic Anoxic Event 1a from the Paris Basin (Environment) Paper-3 PMP OAE 1a refers to a period during the Cretaceous Period (145 million years ago and ended 66 million years ago) when Earth's oceans became depleted of oxygen, causing a significant disruption in marine life. Cause: The event is believed to have been

Viksit Panchayat Karmayogi (Good governance)

26 Dec, 24
SHARE

Viksit Panchayat Karmayogi (Good governance) Governance GS PAPER-2 PMP Dr. Jitendra Singh launched the ‘Viksit Panchayat Karmayogi’ initiative on Good Governance Day, celebrated to mark the 100th birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. The initiative, which is part of the broader ‘Prashasan Gaon

Major programmes to control Air Pollution

23 Dec, 24
SHARE

Major programmes to control Air Pollution National Clean Air Programme? It was launched by the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC) in January 2019. It is the first-ever effort in the country to frame a national framework for air quality management with a time-bound reduction target. The

Air pollution and Air quality Measures in India

21 Dec, 24
SHARE

Air pollution and Air quality Measures in India (Environment) GS Paper-3 P-M-P Air pollution may be defined as the presence of any solid, liquid or gaseous substance including noise and radioactive radiation in the atmosphere in such concentration that may be directly and/or indirectly injurious to humans or other l

Geopolitical Significance of Ports

20 Dec, 24
SHARE

Geopolitical Significance of Ports (IR) Act as geopolitical assets: Ports enhance the projection of strategic reach, which helps strengthen the country’s control over important sea and energy supply routes. E.g. Indian Navy’s staging base at Agalega Islands will enable marine patrols