WHY YOU SHOULDN't WORRY about the latest news of COVISHIELD VACCINE rare side effects.- All the myths broken here.
What are we talking about?
Vaccine induced thrombotic thrombocytopenia refers to the possibility of developing low platelet counts along with development of clots in blood vessels following administration of a vaccine. It is also called as thrombotic thrombocytopenia syndromes
It can occur because of certain proteins in the body which can activate the platelets and the clotting system in the body
How rare was it to occur?
Based on global reporting data in 2022, the occurrence of this syndrome was 4 cases per 1 million dose of the Astra Zeneca vaccine administered in the western pacific region. This figure was around 0.2 cases/1 million in Asia n countries as per a WHO interim recommendation. Another study found it to be around 7.5 cases for every million doses
Therefore the occurence of it was RARE
Now getting an infection with COVID19 itself had a higher chance of developing a blood clot or low platelet count. The chance of developing a blood clot with COVID-19 itself is almost 15-20%
When does it occur?
The usual time of onset of these symptoms in possible cases has been about 1-2 weeks following vaccination, sometimes maybe about a month but definitely not after years
Therefore there is absolutely NO NEED TO PANIC now
Is this new information?
This is NOT a new information and has been available in the public domain and also committees which monitor vaccine adverse events have also reported these rare events periodically.
We need to understand that how the human body behaves to an external agent /drug/stimulus is not always predictable
Which is why trials are conducted not only to establish the effectiveness but even safety
A drug for BP can sometimes cause increase potassium levels, A drug for diabetes can cause increase in fungal infection of urine so on and so forth. The benefits and the possibility of side effects are always studied before a drug is approved.
During one of the biggest pandemics the world has faced, the vaccines have saved so many lives and prevented hospitalisation in innumerable number of patients that should not be driven by the social media frenzy of a rare side effect.
On the other hand in this situation most of the data has been transparent and been available to regulatory bodies and public
Rare events are also captured and these imply only association and not directly any Causation
Can I Check anything now to see if i am at risk of developing blood clots?
Some ill advised so called fitness influencers are posting a list of blood tests that can be done. They have absolutely no evidence and would make someone end up spending more money
D-Dimer is a test with lot of false postiives and need not be done in a person with no symptoms. Again there is no indication to do ECHO, Ultrasounds or CT scans in patients without symptoms
There are panel of tests called thrombophilia panel which helps us identify people with abnormal protein/gene mutations at risk of developing clots but they are done in patients who have developed clots without any reason to determine further preventive steps
To sum up
There is no new information to make us feel fearful of vaccines
There is currently no long term evidence of any damage or harm being caused by these vaccines.
Rare side effects are unpredicatable but data must be captured to help make diagnosis.
Let us spread the correct information and not panic!!\
#CovidVaccines #COVISHIELD #AstraZeneca