AstraZeneca has admitted for the first time in a court in Britain that its Covid vaccine can cause deadly thrombosis as a side effect. The extremely rare reaction is at the center of a multimillion-dollar class action by dozens of families who say they, or their relatives, have been maimed or killed by the “defective” vaccine. Lawyers representing the plaintiffs believe the compensation could run into millions.
Cambridge-based AstraZeneca disputes the allegations but acknowledged in a legal document submitted to the High Court in February that its vaccine “may, in very rare cases, cause TTS”. TTS is short for thrombosis with thrombocytopenic syndrome, a medical condition in which a person suffers from blood clots along with a low platelet count. Platelets typically help blood clot. The complication – listed as a potential side effect of the vaccine – was previously called vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia.
