A lawyer has filed a plea in the Supreme Court seeking the constitution of a Medical Expert Panel to examine the side effects and risk factors of the Covishield vaccine, as well as compensation for those who have been severely disabled or died due to the vaccination drive.
This comes after pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca admitted that its AZD1222 vaccine, which is licensed and sold as Covishield in India, can cause low platelet count and the formation of blood clots in rare cases.
The lawyer highlights that more than 175 crore Covishield vaccines have been administered in India and expresses concern over the increase in deaths due to heart attacks and sudden collapses since the vaccine rollout.
The plea requests the establishment of a Vaccine Damage Payment System for severely disabled individuals and calls for compensation for those affected by the vaccine's side effects.
The lawyer emphasizes that the vaccine was administered based on the government's assurance of its safety and urges the Union government to prioritize the matter to ensure the health of people is not put at risk in the future.
