AstraZeneca Maker Of India’s Covishield, Recalls Vax

NEW DELHI, (IANS) – The risk-benefit of AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine is currently against further use, said experts on May 8 amid a report of a global recall of the jab by the British-Swedish pharma giant, sold as Covishield in India.

During the pandemic, India urged and touted its rates of vaccination and lauded the Serum Institute of Pune, owned by the Poonawallas. Vaccination certificates came along with a picture of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The recall of the Covid-19 vaccine comes after the drugmaker in February admitted in the UK court about its potential side effect — Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Syndrome, a rare blood clot disorder.

While it can now no longer be used in the European Union, the company said it will initiate withdrawals from the global market.

“It is no longer a useful vaccine. The virus has changed. The risk-benefit currently is against further use,” Anurag Agrawal, Dean, Trivedi School of Biosciences, at Ashoka University, said.

“In India, with severe Covid becoming less common presently, possibly due to a combination of hybrid and herd immunity, a decision to vaccinate with the AstraZeneca vaccine should be made after discussing the likely risks and benefits. This is especially true for younger and low-risk individuals,” added Lancelot Pinto, Consultant Pulmonologist and Epidemiologist, P. D. Hinduja Hospital and MRC, Mumbai.