Covidshield vaccine is safe: Serum Institute

The Serum Institute of India (SII) has said that the covid vaccine 'covidShield' from UK pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca is safe. Pune based company SII is testing this vaccine.

A 40-year-old man claims he suffered severe "neurological and psychological" symptoms after being given the vaccine in the trial.

After a Chennai-based man claimed that he suffered neurological and psychological side effects taking a shot of Covid-19 vaccine Covishield during the human trial being conducted by Serum Institute of India's (SII), the Pune-based company said there was no correlation between the two. In a social media post, the institute said, "Covishield is safe & immunogenic, the incident with the Chennai volunteer no way induced by the vaccine."

But SII says that the problem faced by this volunteer in Chennai has nothing to do with the vaccine trial.

SII stated, "All the necessary procedures were followed. Principal Investigator, DSMB and Ethics Committee have stated that the problem was not related to vaccine testing. "

A complaint was sent to the ICMR, SII, AstraZeneca and the Drugs Controller General of India on behalf of the anonymous volunteer, demanding Rs five crore in compensation and postponement of testing, manufacture and delivery of the vaccine, according to a news report from Reuters has gone.

All regulatory, ethical processes and guidelines were followed by the company. The principal investigator DSMB (Data and Safety Monitoring Board) and ethics committee stated it was non-related issue to vaccine trial," it said.

Serum Institute rejected charges that a COVID-19 vaccine candidate has serious side effects, and threatened to seek heavy damages for "malicious" allegations.

"The allegations in the notice are malicious and misconceived. While the Serum Institute of India is sympathetic with the volunteer''s medical condition, there is absolutely no correlation with the vaccine trial and the medical condition of the volunteer," Serum Institute of India said in a statement.

The volunteer is falsely laying the blame for his medical problems on the COVID vaccine trial, it added.

"It is evident that the intention behind the spreading of such malicious information is an oblique pecuniary motive. The Serum Institute of India, will seek damages in excess of 100 crore for the same and will defend such malicious claims," Serum Institute said.

Pune-based Serum Institute of India (SII) has collaborated with Oxford University and pharmaceutial company Astra Zeneca for making the COVID-19 vaccine, ''Covidshield'', and is conducting trials in India.

In India, 31,118 new cases of covid-19 infection have been registered in the last 24 hours and 482 people have died.

With this, the total number of infections in the country has now reached 94 lakh 62 thousand 810 and the death toll has also reached one lakh 37 thousand 621.

The total number of active cases in India at this time is 4 lakh 35 thousand 603.

According to Health Ministry figures, a total of 88 lakh 89 thousand 585 people have been cured of this disease. 41,985 people have recovered in the last 24 hours.