2 Indian families to sue Serum Institute over daughters' alleged Covishield death

Parents of two Indian women, who allegedly died after taking Covishield vaccine, have decided to file a case against the Serum Institute of India (SII), days after AstraZeneca, which sold the vaccine in India, admitted in court that their vaccine can cause rare side effects, including blood clots. The parents are hopeful of justice after AstraZeneca's admission came.

The pharmaceutical giant is being sued in a class-action suit over claims that its Covid-19 vaccine, developed in association with the University of Oxford, caused death and serious injury, including TTS - thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome - a serious adverse event that causes blood clots and a low blood platelet count.

The British pharmaceutical company, AstraZeneca, has admitted in court documents that its vaccine against Covid-19 has the potential to cause TTS.

The Oxford–AstraZeneca Covid vaccine was sold globally under the brand names 'Covishield' and 'Vaxzevria', among others.

Rithaika Sri Omtri, 18, who had just completed Class 12, was pursuing architecture when Covid hit in 2021. In May, she was accompanied by her parents to take the first dose of Covishield. However, within 7 days, Rithaika developed a high fever, started vomiting and couldn't walk, after which she was taken for an MRI scan that showed her brain had multiple blood clots and a haemorrhage. In two weeks, Rithaika was declared dead.

Rithaika's parents didn’t know at that point the exact cause of her death, but two RTIs later, in December, her family got clarification after the Union health ministry confirmed that Rithaika had suffered "thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome" and died due to "vaccine product related reaction".

In a similar incident, Venugopal Govindan's daughter Karunya also died in July 2021, a month after her vaccination. The national committee concluded there was insufficient evidence to conclude that her death was caused by the vaccine.

Several families, through the court complaint, alleged that the AstraZeneca vaccine's side effects have had devastating effects.

The lawsuit was initiated by Jamie Scott, who suffered a permanent brain injury after receiving the AstraZeneca vaccine in April 2021.

The AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine is no longer administered in the UK due to safety concerns. While independent studies have shown its effectiveness in combating the pandemic, the emergence of rare side effects has prompted regulatory scrutiny and legal action.

As legal proceedings unfold, affected individuals and their families seek fair compensation and acknowledgement of vaccine-induced injuries.