New Delhi:

Bleeding and clotting events following a Covid vaccine injection in India are “miniscule” and “in line with the expected number of diagnoses of these conditions”, a panel on AEFI (adverse events following immunisation) told the Union Health Ministry Monday afternoon.

The panel said it had studied 498 (of 700) “serious and severe events” and found that only 26 had been reported as “potential thromboembolic events”, referring to the potentially fatal formation of a clot that could break loose and be carried by the blood stream to block a vessel.

The panel further said Covishield – the AstraZeneca-Oxford University vaccine linked by some studies to clotting issues – reported fewer than 0.61 cases per million doses administered.

It also said Covaxin – the vaccine developed by Bharat Biotech – reported “no potential thromboembolic events” following administering of the drug.