Bhubaneswar: Amid concerns over the alleged side effects of COVID-19 vaccine Covishield, Odisha Health Director Bijay Panigrahi today said there is no need to worry over the matter as the Thrombosis Thrombocytopenia Syndrome (TTS) has not been found in Odisha yet.

TTS is a disorder that causes people to have blood clots and a low blood platelet count.

"The last vaccination was done in Odisha in February of 2023. Around 6.42 crore doses of Covishield have been administered in the state. Though the TTS is being discussed in media these days, we were earlier aware about it. The Government of India had issued guidelines regarding the side effects. The probability of such side effects is mere 0.61 per one million doses," said Panigrahi.

"The side effects, if any, come to fore in a person after around 3 weeks of administration of the vaccine. As three years have passed since the commencement of vaccination drive in the state, there is no chance of occurrence of the side effects now," he added.

The Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid vaccine, sold as Covishield in India and Vaxzevria in Europe, is a viral vector vaccine developed using the modified chimpanzee adenovirus ChAdOx1.

Covishield, manufactured and marketed in India in partnership with Serum Institute of India (SII), was widely administered in the country -- to almost 90 per cent of the Indian population.

The British-Swedish multinational pharmaceutical company has admitted for the first time in the UK court documents that its Covid vaccine can cause a rare blood clot risk, the Telegraph reported.

About 51 cases have been lodged in the UK High Court against the pharmaceutical giant over claims that its Covid vaccine caused death and serious injury.

The victims and grieving relatives have sought damages, estimated to be worth up to 100 million pounds, the report said.

Although AstraZeneca is contesting the claims, it has accepted in a legal document submitted to the High Court in February that its Covid vaccine can, in very rare cases, cause TTS, the report said.

(with agency inputs)