New Delhi: Weeks after AstraZeneca admitted that its COVID vaccine, including Covishield, can cause rare side-effects of blood clotting and lowering of platelet count, a Banaras Hindu University (BHU) study revealed that nearly one-third of individuals who received Bharat Biotech’s COVID-19 vaccine Covaxin reported ‘adverse events of special interest’ (AESI), according to.
The one-year follow-up study, which included 635 adolescents and 291 adults, aimed to assess long-term safety of the BBV152 vaccine.
Those who participated in the study were interviewed telephonically about long-term AESI after one year of vaccination. Around 33% participants reported AESI.
Among adolescents, 10.5% had new-onset skin and subcutaneous disorders, 10.2% general disorders and 4.7% nervous system disorders according to the study.
Common AESIs reported by adults were general disorders (8.9%), musculoskeletal disorders (5.8%) and nervous system disorders (5.5%).
Serious AESIs, like stroke and Guillain-Barre syndrome, were reported in 1% of participants.
Almost half of the 926 participants reported infections during the follow-up period, mainly viral upper respiratory tract infections.
Among other disorders, menstrual abnormalities were observed in 4.6% of female participants, while ocular abnormalities and hypothyroidism were reported in 2.7% and 0.6% of participants, respectively.
Four deaths were reported among adult participants, all of whom were suffering from diabetes while three had hypertension. Two of the victims had a history of pre-vaccination COVID-19.
