EXCLUSIVE! 'Covishield has saved lives; there is no need to panic...' (WATCH)

Doubts and conspiracy theories have crept up ever since British pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca admitted that its COVID-19 vaccine could cause rare side effects. In India, Serum Institute of India produced the vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University as Covishield. The apprehensions about the vaccine increased when AstraZeneca initiated global withdrawal of the jab.

The pharmaceutical company is confronting a £100 million lawsuit in the UK, alleging that its Covid vaccine resulted in deaths and injuries to multiple individuals. AstraZeneca acknowledged in court documents in February that its Covishield vaccine can "in very rare cases, cause TTS or Thrombosis with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome". TTS is characterized by blood clots and a reduced blood platelet count in humans and has been associated with at least 81 deaths in the UK. Nevertheless, the vaccine manufacturer has refuted any connection between the decision to withdraw Covishield and the ongoing court case.

Asianet Newsable reached out to Dr Satyanarayana Mysore, Chairman, HOD & Consultant for Pulmonology, Lung Transplant Physician and Sleep Medicine at Manipal Hospital in Bengaluru, to understand whether the apprehensions were valid or misplaced. WATCH what he had to say!

Also Read: AstraZeneca withdraws COVID vaccine days after side effect row, cites commercial reasons