Only seven out of more than 20 million people have been reported as suffering blood clots after receiving the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine, the National Vaccine Institute on Friday revealed, insisting that the chances of developing the condition are very low.
The National Vaccine Institute released a statement on Friday regarding thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS), characterised by a blood clot condition and a low platelet count, which were reported in some people who got the jab developed by AstraZeneca.
The statement was released in response to public concerns over AstraZeneca's recent disclosure that its viral vector vaccine can cause TTS.
According to the institute, cases of people developing TTS after receiving AstraZeneca's vaccine were not new but were reported after the data was systematically collected worldwide.
However, such cases are rare, the institute said.
According to global statistics, the chances of people developing TTS after the AstraZeneca vaccine differ by geographical landscape.
The risk was found to be much lower in non-EU countries.
A report in June 2021 revealed that one in 100,000 people who got the AstraZeneca vaccine in the United Kingdom developed TTS.
In Thailand, 48,730,984 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine were provided and only seven people were reported to develop TTS -- a one in 10 million chance.
The institute explained that TTS caused by the vaccine usually develops three to 21 days after vaccination. Symptoms are most frequently observed in people receiving their first dose, with a history of blood clots, or who have a low platelet count due to poor immune systems.
This turned out to include more younger than older people.
The data has allowed the institute to act accordingly to detect and provide treatment for such cases.
According to the institute, the risk of developing TTS is much higher for patients infected with Covid-19 than for those who got jabbed. However, the institute said it no longer provides the AstraZeneca vaccine.
Meanwhile, Dr Thiravat Hemachudha, a neurologist at Chulalongkorn University's faculty of medicine, posted on Facebook on Friday urging the Public Health Ministry to require citizens to report all the side effects, not just blood clots, of all types of Covid-19 vaccinations they have experienced since the days they were jabbed until this year.