India: No blood clot risk from Covishield, Covaxin

A top Indian government committee has concluded on Tuesday that there is no increased risk of blood clotting following vaccinations with Covishield and Covaxin so far. 

The committee analyzed over 400 major adverse reactions during the government’s ongoing vaccination drive of priority groups in the country before submitting its findings, as per a top government official involved in the process, Indian Express reported.

“These cases have been analyzed and there is no unusual bleeding or clotting manifestations either with Covishield or Covaxin,” said Dr N K Arora, executive director of the INCLEN Trust and an advisor to the National Adverse Events Following Immunization (AEFI) Committee looking into this issue.

Of 412 cases of severe AEFI and serious AEFI, including hospitalizations and deaths, reported as of March 13, there is “no abnormal increase” in issues of clotting and bleeding either, he said.

According to Dr Arora the situation will continue to be monitored. A system is in the works to ensure a faster turnaround time between the time that a serious AEFI is reported by states and the Centre and the results of the investigations into them, as per him. 

This includes making the delivery of laboratory and post-mortem reports for each AEFI “much faster,” he said.

“We are (trying to see) that, within two or three weeks, the results should be available for each AEFI. It will be almost real-time,” Dr Arora told The Indian Express.

India’s decision to review serious and severe AEFIs for this issue follows concerns raised in other countries over this risk with the University of Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, on which Covishield is based.