New Delhi- Nearly one-third of the individuals who received Bharat Biotech’s anti-Covid vaccine Covaxin reported ‘adverse events of special interest,’ or AESI, according to a one-year follow up study conducted by a team of researchers at BHU.
Nearly 50 per cent of 926 study participants in the study complained of infections during the follow-up period, predominated by viral upper respiratory tract infections.
Serious AESI, which included stroke and Guillain-Barre syndrome, were reported in one per cent of individuals, the study, which looked at long-term safety of the BBV152 vaccine in adolescents and adults, claimed.
Published in the journal Springer Nature, the study comes in the wake of UK pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca admitting its Covid vaccine can cause rare side-effects of blood clotting and lowering of platelet count in UK court.
“Close to one third of the individuals developed AESIs. New-onset skin and subcutaneous disorders, general disorders, and nervous system disorders were the three most common disorders observed in adolescents after receiving the vaccine,” the study, conducted from January 2022 to August 2023, said.
The study involved 635 adolescents and 291 adults, who received the BBV152 vaccine. The participants were interviewed telephonically about long-term adverse events of special interest after 1 year of vaccination.
New-onset skin and subcutaneous disorders (10.5 per cent), general disorders (10.2 per cent), and nervous system disorders (4.7 per cent) were the common AESIs in adolescents.
General disorders (8.9), musculoskeletal disorders (5.8 per cent), and nervous system disorders (5.5 per cent) were the common AESIs in adults.
Menstrual abnormalities were noticed in 4.6 per cent of female participants. Ocular abnormalities and hypothyroidism were observed in 2.7 per cent and 0.6 per cent of participants
Four deaths (three female individuals, one male individual) were reported in adults, the study added.
All four had diabetes, while hypertension in three, and a history of pre-vaccination COVID-19 was present in two of them.
Stroke was the main contributor in two deaths and one fatality was due to post-COVID-19 rhinocerebral mucormycosis, which supposedly disseminated after vaccination as reported by the caregivers.
The fourth death happened in a woman with multiple episodes of unconsciousness post-vaccination, the etiology of which remained unidentified till death. In the absence of a definite causality association, no conclusions can be drawn from these events.
With the majority of AESIs persisting for a significant period, extended surveillance of COVID-19-vaccinated individuals is warranted to understand the course and outcomes of late-onset AESIs, the study underlined.
Serious AESIs might not be uncommon and necessitate enhanced awareness and larger studies to understand the incidence of immunemediated phenomena post-COVID-19 vaccination .
Female individuals, adolescents with pre-vaccination COVID-19, those with co-morbidities, and those with post-vaccination typhoid had respectively 1.6, 2, 2.7, and 3.2 times higher odds of persistent AESIs.
Adults with co-morbidities had more than two times higher odds of AESIs and persistent AESIs, the study stated.
Adults receiving three doses and those receiving one dose of BBV152 were respectively at four and two times higher risk of AESIs compared with adults receiving two doses of the Covaxin, the study said.
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NIA Attaches Multiple Properties In South Kashmir’s Pulwama
Jammu- National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Thursday attached multiple properties in South Kashmir’s Pulwama.
In a statement, the NIA said that going full steam with its efforts to destroy the terror network in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has attached as many as seven immovable properties of a top terrorist belonging to the banned Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terrorist organisation.
According to spokesman, the Terrorist Sartaj Ahmed Mantoo’s properties, including land measuring 19 Marlas & 84 Sq ft at Kisarigam in Pulwama district of Kashmir, were attached on Wednesday under Section 33 (1) of UA (P) Act, 1967, on the orders of NIA Special Court, Jammu.
Sartaj was arrested on 31st January 2020, and several arms, ammunitions & explosives were recovered from his possession. He was chargesheeted on 27th July 2020, and is currently facing trial under relevant sections of Arms Act, IPC, Explosive Substances Act, UA (P) Act and Indian Wireless Telegraphy Act, 1933, he said.
Along with his five co-accused members of JeM, he was involved in transporting freshly infiltrated terrorists to the Kashmir valley. Three terrorists were killed and arms, ammunition and explosives were also seized in the case (RC-02/2020/NIA/JMU), related to a conspiracy to unleash terror attacks on security forces / apparatus as part of an anti-India agenda, he said.
Since its formation in 2000 by Maulana Masood Azhar, JeM has carried out several terrorist attacks in India including J&K. JeM was enlisted as a “Designated Foreign Terrorist Organisation” by the United Nations Security council Resolution (UNSC) 1267 and the group’s leader Maulana Masood Azhar was designated as “Global Terrorist” in 2019 by the UNSC, he said.
NIA had, just a week ago, attached six immovable properties of another top militant of JeM in Kashmir as part of its crackdown on terror operatives in J&K, reads the statement.
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