The Astra Zeneca vaccine, which is known as Covishield, has been deployed against Covid-19 in at least 115 countries for several months now. 

However, the vaccine has now come under the scanner after several European countries and Australia reported rare blood-clotting disorders associated with its administration, which has now resulted in several countries like Denmark, temporarily suspending its use. 

And the Astra Zeneca vaccine is not alone in reporting such types of rare blood clots. The single-shot Johnson and Johnson vaccine, which works similar to Astra Zeneca as a viral vector vaccine, has also been paused by the Centre for Disease Control and FDA in the US after six cases of rare blood clot-related disorders were reported. 

The stakes are enormous, especially for a country like India where 90% of the inoculations are done with Covishield, and with the country reporting more than a lakh case every day for the past week, public trust in the vaccine is more important than ever. 

So for today’s episode, we will go through the complications with the Astra Zeneca vaccine, what caused the suspension of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine and how significant are these concerns. 

Host and Producer: Himmat Shaligram

Guest: Dr K Srinath Reddy, President of the Public Health Foundation of India.

Editor: Shelly Walia

Music: Big Bang Fuzz

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