Probably nothing shook the world as badly as COVID-19 did. Every person on this Earth was either directly or indirectly impacted by the deadly virus in 2020. Around early 2021, a sliver of hope emerged in the form of a vaccine that could help fight this Coronavirus. While it wasn’t a foolproof measure to combat COVID, it definitely helped tone down the effects and symptoms – giving victims a fighting chance and a healthy recovery.

Covaxin and Covishield, both COVID-19 vaccines, were deployed in the world starting in early 2021. Covaxin was developed by Bharat Biotech in India and Covishield was developed by Oxford-AstraZeneca and produced by the Serum Institute of India. Both these vaccines received emergency use approval in India in January 2021.

They were subsequently deployed in various countries across three phases wherein many people got 2 to 3 doses of it. While it’s been four years since we have been enduring the after-effects of the virus and the vaccines, Covishield’s makers AstraZeneca recently made a shocking revelation. For the first time, the company admitted in its court documents that its Covid vaccine can cause rare side effects.

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The Medical Controversy

While independent studies have shown its effectiveness in combating the pandemic, the emergence of rare side effects has prompted regulatory scrutiny and legal action. The pharmaceutical company is being sued in a class action over claims that its vaccine against Covid-19, developed with the University of Oxford, caused death and serious injury.

Lawyers have argued that the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine is “defective” and that its efficacy has been “vastly overstated.” The company has strongly denied these claims. 51 cases have been lodged in the High Court, with victims and grieving relatives seeking damages estimated to be worth up to £100 million, as per a report by The Telegraph.

And now the pharma giant admitted that in very rare cases, Covishield could cause severe side effects including TTS. Thrombosis with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome is a condition which causes people to have blood clots and a low blood platelet count.

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The controversy surrounding Covishield led to its suspension or outright ban in several countries worldwide, including Denmark, Ireland, Thailand, and Canada, among others, primarily due to reported cases of blood clots post-vaccination. Ever since COVID-19 and its vaccines have entered people’s bodies, it seems like the number of deaths from heart attacks have substantially increased.

Internet Reacts

With almost every piece of news turning into memes, the Internet was at it yet again. Memes have become a way for people to cope with tough news and situations. Netizens expressed their rage and disappointment regarding Covishield’s shocking side effects in the form of sarcastic memes. Let’s take you through some of them:

This meme on X picked Salman Khan‘s dialogue as Chulbul Pandey from Dabangg 3 and made it look like something Covishield would say-

Cat memes are literally all over the Internet. This one is dark but hilarious at the same time-

From hoping it saves you to it being the reason you’re more sick… this meme summarises what people currently suffering are feeling-

This scene from the movie ‘Raaz‘ fits a little too well with the Covishield situation! Malini depicts the vaccine when she says, “Main tumhe barbaad kar dungi,” and Dino denotes the population that took the vaccine, saying “Main barbaad hona chahta hoon“.

The news made an X user emotional. He is listening to Kal Ho Naa Ho‘s title track – the ending part when Shah Rukh Khan is in the hospital. Ouch.

Sums up our reactions.

The timing of this news coming forth does seem suspicious given that it coincides with the Loksabha Elections 2024 in India. Could it be an attempt at trying to tamper with the current Prime Minister’s image or is it genuine? Let’s see how this case against AstraZeneca unfolds.