Colombo: The rare blood clotting incidents, post administration of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, has hit Sri Lanka.
Six cases of blood clots among recipients of Covishield, the Oxford-AstraZeneca developed vaccine being manufactured at Pune’s Serum Institute of India, have been found in Sri Lanka. Of them, three have died, the island nation’s Health Minister Pavithra Waniarachchi told Parliament on Wednesday.
According to a Reuters report, over 9.25 lakh people have been given the first dose of the Indian-made vaccine in Sri Lanka till date.
Also Read: Fact Check: Have There Been Blood-Clotting Cases In India Post-Covishield Jab?
The Lankan government is yet to make any announcement on the possibility of halting the vaccination programme.
Blood clotting issues, though very rare, have been a cause of concern with the AstraZeneca vaccine in UK and other European nations, many of whom have banned it.
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has said that there is a link between AstraZeneca vaccine and rare blood clots in the brain.
The vaccine’s co-developer Oxford, though, has denied any link.
