This decision follows legal action in which AstraZeneca has been sued by more than 50 alleged victims and relatives over serious injuries or deaths caused by a very rare side effect observed during the vaccine rollout. In total, since December 2020, the event has been linked to at least 81 deaths in the UK alone.
It’s been almost three and a half years since the vaccine was first approved for use in the UK. While its crucial role in reducing the massive number of hospitalizations and deaths from COVID-19 has been widely acknowledged, questions remain about why it likely caused so many deaths.
This news has sparked a heated global debate about the safety and effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines, particularly the AstraZeneca vaccine. What are the risks of taking this vaccine?
The AstraZeneca vaccine proved to be an important tool in the fight against COVID-19, offering strong protection and overall efficacy of 76%. While inferior to the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, the main advantage of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine was its adenovirus-mediated immunity.
This made it ideal for international transport and played a crucial role in vaccinating people in low-income countries. In 2021 alone, approximately 2.5 billion doses of the vaccine were administered, saving an estimated 6.3 million lives. However, like any vaccine, the AstraZeneca vaccine is not without risks.
The deaths are linked to a very rare condition known as thrombocytopenic embolism syndrome (TTS), which causes life-threatening blood clots to develop in various parts of the body. This risk appears to be higher in people under 60, especially young women.
