Parents File Case Against Serum Institute Over Daughter’s Alleged Covishield death

New Delhi: After British pharma company AstraZeneca’s admitted in a court that its vaccine can cause rare side effects, the parents of a woman who allegedly died after taking the Covishield vaccine have initiated legal proceedings against Serum Institute of India (SII).

Serum Institute of India produced the Covishield vaccine in India, after it was developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University.

According to a report in India Today, Venugopalan Govindan’s daughter Karunya died in July 2021 after taking the Covishield vaccine. However, the national committee set up by the government concluded there was insufficient evidence to conclude that her death was caused by the vaccine.

Now Govindan has filed a writ petition seeking compensation, and the appointment of an independent medical board to inquire into the death of his daughter.

The Oxford–AstraZeneca Covid vaccine was sold globally under the brand names ‘Covishield’ and ‘Vaxzevria’, among others.

The AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine is no longer administered in the UK due to safety concerns. Studies prove that it effective against Covid-19. But discovery of its rare side effects has prompted regulatory scrutiny and legal action.