COVID-19 has made an impact on our lives, and the vaccines that have been administered have also left an impact. This is regardless of the manufacturer and the technology used, as side effects have been encountered with different manufacturers. For example, Bharat Biotech emphasizes more comprehensive data for unbiased reporting and safety monitoring. Other manufacturers like AstraZeneca have reported rare side effects, and mRNA vaccines by Moderna and Pfizer have also reported them.
A story was published revealing that one-third of the participants in a study on the side effects of Bharat Biotech's COVID-19 vaccine, Covaxin, developed adverse effects of special interest, as per the report published in SpringerLink. In this study, they found that specifically, adolescent females with a history of allergies were at higher risk of developing viral upper respiratory tract infections.
In issuing a statement on this, Bharat Biotech said that for such a study to be effective, informative, and free from investigator bias, it should incorporate parameters such as the safety profile of patients before vaccination, comparison of the vaccinated group with the non-vaccinated group, and also comparison of vaccines from other manufacturers
They also stated that the study should not involve a subset of the population, as was done in the study, and it should include the entire population with proper follow-up. A thorough follow-up is crucial. They also mentioned that numerous studies on COVID-19 have been published in peer-reviewed journals, validating safety.
Recently, there has been a lot of news concerning these vaccines, and AstraZeneca has halted its marketing authorization in the European Union. They have admitted that the vaccine causes a rare side effect. It was marketed as Vaxzevria in Europe and Covishield in India, manufactured by the Serum Institute of India.
Amidst all of this, there is a recent story that has highlighted an increased risk of vaccine-induced thrombocytopenia associated with the AstraZeneca vaccine. This underscores the importance of addressing safety concerns regarding this aspect.
Another study published confirmed signals for myocarditis and pericarditis after mRNA vaccines ( Pfizer and Moderna), and for Guillain-Barre syndrome and cerebral venous sinus thrombosis after viral vector vaccines (AstraZeneca)
All of these highlight one thing: regardless of the technology or manufacturer, there is a need for comprehensive data to ensure unbiased regulation of safety. Proper monitoring and reporting must occur because vaccine safety is vital, and patient safety needs to be the top priority for manufacturers.
Input from various sources
(Rehash/Manav Chaturvedi/MSM)
