RTI findings reveals ‘multiple side-effects’ of COVID jabs, Covishield most

What could give you a major headache or force you to think over your decision to take COVID jabs, a fresh RTI findings have claimed ‘multiple side-effects’ of COVID vaccines. The startling revelations were made by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) in an RTI reply to Pune businessman Prafful Sarda. 

Notably, India has permitted AstraZenaca and Serum Institute of India, Pune’s Covishield and SII’s own ‘COVOVAX’; vaccines of three Hyderabad-based companies – the government-run Bharat Biotech Ltd.’s ‘Covaxin’, Dr. Reddy’s Lab imported ‘Sputnik V’, Biological E. Ltd.’s ‘CorBEvax’, and later, Cadila Healthcare Ltd., Ahmedabad’s ‘ZyCov-D’ only for teenagers (12-17 age).

In a specific query by Sarda on the side-effects of all these jabs, the ICMR’s PIO Dr. Leyanna Susan George and CDSCO’s PIO Sudhanta Sarkar, have cited a plethora of ramifications arising out of all these vaccines comprising their FAQs.

As per RTI responses, the side-effects of Covishield are pain, multiple red spots or bruises beyond the injected site, persistent vomiting without reasons, severe or persistent abdominal pains or headaches with or without vomiting, shortness of breath, chest pains, pain in limbs or swelling on pressing of calf/arms, weakness/paralysis of limbs of any particular sides or parts of the body, including cranial nerves, change in mental status, encephalopathy or depressed level of consciousness.

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Meanwhile, Covovax has side-effects are injection site pain/tenderness/induration, fatigue, malaise, headaches, fever, soreness of muscles, joint pains, nausea of vomiting, chills, body-ache or extreme pain in limbs, Asthenia (weakness or lack of energy), Injection site pruritus (itching, rash, red skin, hives), enlarged lymph nodes, back pains, and rarely dizziness or drowsiness.

The RTI findings claimed that Covaxin displays mild symptoms AEFIs like injection site pain/swelling, headaches, fatigue, bodyache, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, giddiness, tremors, sweating, cold and cough.

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Sputnik V manifests with chills, fever, arthralgia, myalgia, asthenia, headaches, general discomfort, injection site pain/swelling/hyperaemia or nausea, dyspepsia, loss of appetite or occasional enlarged regional lymph nodes.

CorBEvax shows effects like fever/pyrexia, headaches, fatigue, body pains, myalgia, nausea, or arthralgia, urticaria, chills, lethargy, besides injection site pain/erythema, swelling, rash, pruritis or irritation.

Responding to the findings, Mr. Sarda stated that responses from “ICMR-CDSCO are blatantly shocking.’

“Though the government has declared that vaccination is totally voluntary, why was the compulsion created indirectly by barring people from travelling in buses, trains, flights, inter-state movements, going out to hotels, restaurants, multiplexes, malls, etc,” Mr. Sarda, requesting the government to release the data on whether proper publicity on all possible side-effects was done through media, hospitals, vaccination centres.