AAP's Saurabh Bharadwaj Questions Centre On Continued Covishield Jab Despite European Nations Banning It

New Delhi : After AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine was withdrawn worldwide, Aam Aadmi Party leader Saurabh Bharadwaj on Wednesday questioned the Centre as to why it allowed the Covishield vaccine despite most European nations banning it due to its side effects.

In his post on X, Saurabh said, "When most European Nations had banned the use of Covishield vaccine due to side effects in March 2021, Indian Govt continued the use of this vaccine. Now facing heat from Courts in the UK, they have withdrawn the vaccine world over."

AstraZeneca withdrew its vaccine after the company acknowledged for the first time in court documents that it can cause a rare and dangerous side effect, according to a report in the British Newspaper The Telegraph.

AstraZeneca has announced that the vaccine was being removed from markets for commercial reasons. It further said that the vaccine was no longer being made or supplied, having been superseded by updated vaccines that fight new variants.

The application to withdraw the vaccine was made on March 5 and came into effect on May 7. The vaccine can be no longer used in the European Union following the company's decision to withdraw its "marketing authorisation."

Similar applications will be submitted in the UK and other nations in the coming months that have given a go-ahead to the vaccine, known as Vaxzevria.

In recent months, Vaxzevria has come under scrutiny over a very rare side effect, which causes blood clots and low blood platelet counts. In court documents, AstraZeneca in the High Court in February admitted that the vaccine "can, in very rare cases, cause TTS".

AstraZeneca has insisted that the decision to withdraw the vaccine is not related to the case or admission that it can cause TTS and termed the timing a pure coincidence, according to The Telegraph report.

Last week, AstraZeneca reiterated its commitment to patient safety while emphasizing the vaccine's overall safety profile.

Despite these rare occurrences, the pharmaceutical company maintained that extensive clinical trial data and real-world evidence consistently support the vaccine's safety and efficacy. Regulatory agencies worldwide continue to assert that the benefits of vaccination outweigh the risks of such extremely rare side effects.