Odisha Govt Allays Fears Of Covishield Side Effects As TTS Not Found So Far

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government on Wednesday assured people of the state that there was no need to worry as Thrombosis Thrombocytopenia Syndrome (TTS) as a side effect of Covishield vaccine has not been found in the state yet.

As the side effects come to the fore after three weeks of administration of the vaccine and three years have passed since the beginning of vaccine drive, there is no chance that it would appear now, said Dr Bijay Panigrahi, Director Family Welfare, COVID Vaccination In-charge, Odisha

TTS is a condition where blood clots (thrombosis) are formed in the brain (cerebral venous sinus thrombosis) or abdomen combined with low levels of platelets (thrombocytopenia), which are necessary for blood clotting.

Severe or persistent headaches, blurred vision, shortness of breath, chest pain, swelling in the legs, abdominal pain, easy bruising, or tiny blood spots under the skin are the symptoms of TTS.

The fear among people across the country rose as reports of pharma company AstraZeneca, which marketed its Covid-19 vaccine Covishield in partnership with Serum Institute in India, admitting in UK high court documents that the vaccine may cause TTS were published.

According to health officials, around 6.42 crore doses of the vaccine were administered in Odisha since commencement of the Covid-19 vaccine drive in February 2023.

“We were aware about TTS. The Government of India has issued guidelines regarding the side effects. But the probability of the side effects is only 0.61 per one million doses,” Panigrahi told media.