Covishield vaccination will go on with full vigour: India
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The Indian government has said that the health ministry was aware of reports of potential clotting issue, however, the planning commission made it clear that as of now there were no health concerns regarding the vaccine.
India has said that it’s going ahead with administering the AstraZeneca vaccine as it has seen no signs that the vaccine causes blood clots in recipients.
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The announcement comes as many European countries suspended the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine amid growing concerns that blood clots may be a possible side effect.
"Covishield implementation, Covishield vaccination in the country will go on with full vigour but at the same time we are mindful of the fact to address this concern as an ongoing activity based on the data available to us as well as we are watching the information being made available by other sources but today there is no concern at all in regard to Covishield," Dr Vinod Paul, member of the Niti Aayog said
The Indian government has said that the health ministry was aware of reports of potential clotting issue, however, the planning commission made it clear that as of now there were no health concerns regarding the vaccine.
AstraZeneca vaccines are being made in India in collaboration with the Serum Institute of India(SII). The coronavirus vaccine is known as Covishield in India.
In India, infections have jumped sharply in several parts of the country with confirmed cases in 125 districts jumping by 100-150 per cent in the past two weeks.
India has reported over 35,000 new COVID-19 cases and 172 coronavirus related deaths in the last 24 hours. The country's total case count has risen to 11.4 million - the third-highest number in the world behind the United States and Brazil.
India has so far administered 37 million vaccine doses across the country, the majority of them being AstraZeneca jabs.
Denmark was the first country to suspend the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine followed by other European nations, including Italy, France and Germany. However, both the European Medicines Association and the World Health Organisation have said that it is only a precautionary measure.
According to the health agencies, there is currently no evidence to suggest a link between getting the vaccine and the blood clots.
