AstraZeneca, a pharmaceutical company, is facing a significant legal battle in the High Court. The company is accused of producing defective doses of its Covid-19 vaccine and exaggerating its effectiveness. Two test cases are expected to be heard in court after recipients developed a rare condition following the vaccine rollout in 2021. The vaccine, developed in partnership with Oxford University, played a crucial role in the UK’s recovery from Covid, with over 150 million doses administered. Studies show that the vaccine saved six million lives. However, a small number of people experienced blood clots, some of which led to fatal complications. This condition is known as vaccine-induced immune thrombocytopenia and thrombosis (VITT). One individual, IT engineer Jamie Scott, is taking legal action after suffering a brain haemorrhage the day after receiving his first AstraZeneca jab, resulting in permanent brain damage. His wife, Kate, shared their story with The Mail on Sunday, explaining how Jamie was left partially blind and struggles with daily tasks.A father-of-two from Warwickshire has been left partially blind and struggles with daily tasks after receiving the AstraZeneca Covid vaccine. He requires physiotherapy to regain movement. His wife, a charity worker, expressed her gratitude that he is still alive, as she had called the hospital three times to say goodbye. The doctors have informed them that he may never be able to work again. Currently, families are entitled to a £120,000 payout if a loved one dies or is significantly disabled due to a Government-recommended jab. However, experts argue that this system is outdated, leading to a court action. The article also mentions another claim being brought by the widower and two children of a woman who died after receiving the vaccine. If successful, this claim could set a precedent for similar claims, potentially amounting to £1 million each. Mr. Scott’s lawyers will argue that he suffered personal injuries and that the vaccine was defective and misleading in terms of its efficacy. AstraZeneca maintains that the vaccine has an acceptable safety profile and that the benefits outweigh the risks of extremely rare side effects. The AstraZeneca vaccine was chosen by millions of Brits due to its lower cost and easier storage compared to rival vaccines that used mRNA technology.genetic modification, is no longer capable of causing illness in humans. It contains genetic material from the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes Covid, in order to train the immune system to fight against the actual virus. The AstraZeneca vaccine is a modified version of a common cold virus that infects chimpanzees. It has been weakened to prevent illness in humans and loaded with the gene for the coronavirus spike protein, which is used by Covid-19 to invade human cells. In rare cases, about one in 100,000 in the UK, the vaccine can trigger a chain reaction that causes the body to mistake its own blood platelets for virus fragments.The AstraZeneca vaccine, which requires two doses taken up to 12 weeks apart, was highly praised for its effectiveness during the pandemic. Studies showed that two doses of the vaccine provided about 70 percent protection against developing any symptoms of Covid, as opposed to being hospitalized by it. Additionally, other studies found that a single dose reduced the likelihood of hospitalization by up to 94 percent. British officials approved the vaccine for public use on December 30, 2020, shortly after the data was published. The first doses were administered on January 4, 2021, just a few weeks after the Pfizer vaccine. Then-health secretary Matt Hancock celebrated the approval of the AstraZeneca vaccine as a moment to celebrate British innovation.
However, the historic roll-out of the vaccine faced challenges when reports emerged of a rare but dangerous side effect that could potentially cause deadly blood clots. Campaigners have demanded immediate changes to the financial support scheme for individuals injured or bereaved by Covid vaccines like AstraZeneca’s.
Common side effects of the vaccine, which health bosses say can affect more than 10 percent of recipients, include fatigue, flu-like symptoms, and pain in the arms or legs. Stomach pain, a rash, and excessive sweating were less common, affecting roughly one in 100 people who received the vaccine.
Rare issues, occurring in approximately one in 1,000 individuals, include facial drooping on one side. Very rare side effects, affecting one in 10,000 people, can result in paralysis.Trials were not large enough to detect Vaccine-induced thrombotic thrombocytopenia (VITT), a condition that can cause blood clots and has been linked to numerous deaths and injuries. However, the UK’s decision to administer the vaccine to millions of people allowed officials to identify a small but significant trend that raised concerns in April 2020. As a result, the use of the vaccine was restricted to older age groups and is no longer used in booster campaigns.
Government estimates suggest that blood clots occur in approximately one in 10,000 people who receive AstraZeneca’s jab. The risk of VITT is believed to be highest in individuals under the age of 50, affecting approximately one in 50,000 people. In individuals over the age of 50, the risk is estimated to be about one in 100,000.
It is important to note that deaths from VITT were unexpected, but this does not necessarily indicate a fault with AstraZeneca’s vaccine. Many individuals in the UK received the vaccine without experiencing any complications.
