’Covishield shouldn’t have been rolled out’: Eminent doctor flags vaccine over ’severe side effects’

A well known British-Indian cardiologist has flagged the cardiovascular side effects of the Covishield vaccine. According to Dr Aseem Malhotra, the vaccine manufactured in India by the Serum Institute is ‘even worse’ than mRNA COVID-19 vaccines when it came to concerns such as heart attacks and strokes. For the uninitiated, the Oxford-AstraZeneca jab - one of the first to be introduced in India - is presently approved for a two-dose regime and a booster shot. 

The World Health Organization had greenlit the use of Covishield two years ago for individuals aged 18 and older. 

According to Dr Malhotra, however, the vaccine "should never have been rolled out in the country in the first place". As he put it, “the more shots you have the greater the chance of suffering a serious side effect”.

The cardiologist who has been leading international calls for the suspension of mRNA COVID-19 jabs demanded a full safety review into the use of Covishield. Citing a comparison (done till June 2021) published in a peer-reviewed journal, he said that the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine was far worse than Pfizer's mRNA jab in terms of cardiovascular effects, heart attacks, strokes and even deaths.

“Why was AstraZeneca's Covishield administered in India when it was suspended in the UK and some European countries due to severe side-effects? There needs to be immediate suspension pending inquiry as to why India got this so very very wrong,” he said.

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As vaccines against COVID-19 first emerged, a slew of countries had suspended the Oxford-AstraZeneca jab - including Denmark, the Netherlands, Thailand, Germany, France, Italy, and Spain. There were disconcerting reports that a small number of recipients have experienced blood clots, some fatal.

“The vaccine is safe and effective for all individuals aged 18 and above...The Astra-Zeneca vaccine can be offered to people who have had COVID-19 in the past. But individuals may choose to delay vaccination for 3 months following the infection,” reads the vaccine profile on the World Health Organization website.

According to the doctor, there have been an ‘unprecedented’ number of adverse reports when it came to the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine. “8,00,000 reports of adverse effects which were beyond mild after administering 9.7 million doses,” he asserted.

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While it is a tad late in the day to troubleshoot or withdraw a COVID-19 vaccine, Dr Malhotra insisted that it was necessary to 'compensate many many people suffering from vaccine induced injuries' or those who have lost relatives.

More than 90% of the country exposed to COVID-19,accquiring a strong natutal immunity to the virus. “There is no further requirement of vaccination for anybody in India. And there's certainly no requirement for anyone to have a booster especially as we know the side-effect are incremental,” Dr Malhotra asserted.

(With inputs from PTI)