A BHU study found that over 30% of Covaxin recipients reported significant health issues a year post-vaccination, including serious conditions like stroke and Guillain-Barré syndrome. The research highlights the need for ongoing surveillance and larger studies to understand long-term vaccine effects.
A recent study from Banaras Hindu University (BHU) has revealed that nearly one-third of individuals who received Bharat Biotech’s anti-COVID vaccine, Covaxin, reported ‘adverse events of special interest’ (AESI) a year after vaccination. The study, involving 926 participants, highlighted significant long-term health concerns associated with the BBV152 vaccine.
Key findings include:
- Infection Rates: Nearly 50% of participants reported infections during the follow-up period, predominantly viral upper respiratory tract infections.
- Serious AESI: 1% of participants experienced serious AESI, such as stroke and Guillain-Barré syndrome.
- Common Disorders: Adolescents reported new-onset skin and subcutaneous disorders (10.5%), general disorders (10.2%), and nervous system disorders (4.7%). Adults reported general disorders (8.9%), musculoskeletal disorders (5.8%), and nervous system disorders (5.5%).
- Menstrual Abnormalities: Noticed in 4.6% of female participants.
- Ocular Abnormalities and Hypothyroidism: Observed in 2.7% and 0.6% of participants, respectively.
- Mortality: Four deaths were reported among adults, all with pre-existing conditions such as diabetes and hypertension.
The study, published in Springer Nature, underscores the necessity for extended surveillance of vaccinated individuals to understand the long-term effects of the vaccine. It also highlights the increased risk of AESI among specific groups, such as females, adolescents with pre-vaccination COVID-19, and individuals with comorbidities.
This research comes amid reports from AstraZeneca acknowledging rare side effects of their COVID vaccine, emphasizing the need for continuous monitoring and larger studies to understand the full scope of vaccine-related health issues.
