Chennai: A 40-year-old man from Anna Nagar, Chennai, who volunteered for the COVISHIELD vaccine trails, has sued Serum Institute of India, Pune and Ramachandra Hospital for Rs 5 crore alleging physical and mental damages caused by the vaccine. He has also alleged that the prophylactic vaccine is not safe and that further testing, production or distribution of the vaccine should be forthwith stopped.
Dr Jacob John, microbiology and virology department said that the vaccines prone to cause side effects are tested with caution. As the vaccine trial is done on humans for the first time, a prophylactic liquid is administered to a few to avoid side effects, while it is not given for some. Even the person giving the vaccine may be unaware of it. If precautions are taken, then the chance of side effect is very low, he added.
Read: COVISHIELD should be the first Covid 19 vaccine, says Expert
He added that the feasibility of the volunteers being fully apprised of the possible side effects will usually be bleak while signing the undertaking. He is likely to have been told that only fever, headache or body ache will be experienced. Anyway, it is not known what all conditional clauses were there while signing the form of undertaking, he said
As the person administered with COVISHIELD vaccine has been diagnosed with a cerebral impact, the vaccine trials should be stopped. Department of Drug Control need to decide on the matter. The corrective measures for the welfare of volunteers should be explored by a team of experts. It needs to be ascertained that the vaccine has led to side effects, Dr John added.
According to a professor in the Department of Medical Microbiology, the physician who administers the vaccine has little knowledge about it. He said that Professor Andrew Pollard, the head of the Oxford team only knows complete details about the vaccine. Oxford University only knows if the volunteer was given the actual vaccine or a mimic of it.
The legal notice sent by the man stated that it is against social interest to experiment the vaccine further on humans, continuing to produce and distribute it any further owing to the severe physical and mental health aberrations he has been subjected to.
The spouse of the victim said that he experienced vomiting, headache, fever after getting vaccinated. It was stated in the undertaking that the above side effects would be observed after vaccination. He continued his work for 10 days but later, his routines were affected and was fatigued. He was really tired while conversing with a U.S. client between 5.30 and 6 am, she said.
Volunteers had signed an undertaking and they were explained about the possible side effects of the vaccine. They were informed that the vaccine was being tested in countries such as the United States and Brazil and there would be no side effects.
The vaccine developed by Oxford University is in collaboration with the British pharma company, Astra Zeneca. It is being tested on humans in countries including Britain, Brazil and South Africa. In India, the Serum Institute has undertaken the vaccine trials on humans. In Tamil Nadu, Rajiv Gandhi Government General hospital and Ramachandra hospital in Chennai administers the vaccine trails.
Also read: Covid vaccine volunteer claims Rs 5 crore compensation
