Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and Delhi government minister Saurabh Bharadwaj on Wednesday said that the Indian government continued to insist Indians to take the Covishield jab even after there were reports suggesting that there could be side effect of the anti-COVID vaccine. Bharadwaj further said that those who did not get the anti-coronavirus shot were not allowed to go from one place to another.

"A report came in 2021, which stated that Covishield could have side effects. After this, many countries in Europe banned its use. Even after this, the Indian government was setting up camps for getting the Covishield vaccine. Movement was banned without getting it," he said.

The AAP leader's remarks came a day after British pharma giant AstraZeneca admitted in a UK court that its anti-COVID vaccine sold globally as Covishield and Vaxzevria may cause Thrombocytopenia Syndrome (TTS) in "very rare cases." AstraZeneca is facing a class-action lawsuit in the UK on behalf of around 75 claimants at present.

Saurabh Bharadwaj questions Centre

He further questioned the Central government on what plan does it have to save Indians now that the vaccine manufacturing company AstraZeneca itself has admitted that the vaccine can cause heart attacks and other side effects in rare cases.

Saurabh Bharadwaj asked: "Now that the vaccine manufacturing company itself has admitted that it can cause heart attacks in some cases, what is the plan of the Central government now?" He also told news agency PTI that the Centre must urgently address the alleged side-effects of the jab because millions of Indians have been vaccinated with Covishield.

The AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine was marketed as Covishield in India and manufactured by the Serum Institute of India (SII). He also said that many people speculate a connection between the coronavirus vaccine and deaths of young people due to collapsing.

He said, "We have seen numerous videos on social media recently showing people collapsing and dying immediately after performing activities, which was not observed before the pandemic. Many people speculate a connection to the coronavirus vaccine and such reports are a matter of concern as they escalate tension."

"Most of the people who died were young. The government should work on how we can stop it if people are experiencing side-effects," he added.

What complications did the claimants in the UK case report?

TTS, as mentioned by AstraZeneca before the UK court, leads to the formation of blood clots and abnormally low platelet count. Some of the claimants in the case said they have lost relatives whereas others have survived but with severe injuries due to blood clots. Other complications that were reported by these claimants include stroke, heart failure and leg amputations, as per media reports. 

'India continued with Covishield even after adverse reports': AAP's Saurabh Bharadwaj targets Centre as AstraZeneca admits side effect