India admits serious side effects from covid jabs in new guidelines

The Union government has admitted that Covishield vaccines have caused Thrombotic Thrombocytopenia Syndrome (TTS) and Thrombocytopenia among other “serious” side effects in covid patients in India.
“Serious adverse events such as Thrombosis with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome (TTS) (formation of large blood clots in combination with low platelet counts) have been observed at a frequency of less than 1 in 100,000 vaccinated individuals following adenovector – based COVID-19 vaccines in India,” according to revised guidelines on vaccine-related adverse effects reviewed by Mint.
Covishield, manufactured by the Serum Insitute of India, is an adenovector-based vaccine. 
The National AEFI (adverse effects following immunization) guidelines of 2005 were revised in 2010, 2015 and now in 2024. The latest revisions come against the backdrop of deaths from covid vaccines in the UK.
The revised guidelines recommend the use of digital vaccination recording software to increase reporting of all side effects, including minor ones. 
The adverse effects surveillance system should be strengthened for introduction of new vaccines under routine immunization as well as emergency use authorization, the guidelines said. 
The health ministry guidelines, drawn up by the National AEFI Committee and others, also said that studies are underway to monitor the risk of covid-19 vaccines and added that serious adverse events.
The guidelines said that common minor adverse events reported following covid-19 vaccines used in the country include pyrexia, injection site pain, swelling and redness, headache, dizziness, vomiting, fatigue, and hypersensitivity.
“For covid-19 vaccines in India, studies are underway to monitor the risk of specific events identified for their potential association with use of covid-19 vaccines. Some of the identified events are myocarditis, pericarditis, encephalitis, myelitis, seizures, idiopathic thrombocytopenia, Guillain-Barré Syndrome, thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome and thrombosis. Based on the evidence available on the safety and efficacy of the covid-19 vaccines, these vaccines have been found to have a favorable benefit to risk ratio,” it said.