MP Claims Covishield Vaccine Linked to Increase in Sudden Deaths

Ibrahim Didi, ruling party MP for South Feydhoo constituency, has alleged that the Covishield vaccine, administered to Maldivians during the Covid-19 pandemic, is linked to a rise in sudden deaths.

Didi made these remarks during a television appearance on Sangu TV last night, where he criticised the previous administration’s handling of the pandemic.

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“There are many deaths now because they brought something called Covishield and gave it to Maldivians. Doctors say it’s causing blood clots,” Didi stated.

He further claimed that scientific evidence links the vaccine to blood clots, strokes, and heart attacks, even among younger people. According to Didi, there has been a noticeable increase in deaths among young individuals since the pandemic.

Covishield, a vaccine produced by the Serum Institute of India, was developed by Oxford University and the British-Swedish pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca.

Earlier this year, AstraZeneca acknowledged in court documents that the vaccine “can, in very rare cases, cause Thrombosis with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome (TTS),” a condition that causes people to have blood clots and a low blood platelet count. However, the company’s lawyers clarified that AstraZeneca does not accept that the vaccine causes TTS at a generic level.

According to Australia’s Department of Health and Aged Care, the rare syndrome occurred in approximately 2 to 3 people per 100,000 vaccinated with AstraZeneca’s vaccine.

During the pandemic, India donated over 320,000 doses of Covishield to the Maldives. Maldives also received vaccines from China as part of its efforts to combat the virus.