Three deaths resulting from complications that had arisen due to blood clots in individuals who had previously received the first dose of the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covishield vaccine were reported as per revelations made by Minister of Health Pavithra Wanniarachchi on Wednesday (21). However, despite reports of six cases of such blood clotting, the administration of the second dose of the Covishield vaccine is set to commence in the first week of May. The Minister also said that these are rare complications that could arise from any vaccine.
As more than 930,000 Sri Lankans have received their first dose of the Covishield vaccine and with some of the early receivers preparing to receive their second dose, The Morning spoke to members of the public who have already received the vaccine and some who have not on what they feel about vaccination in light of these recent revelations.
Will definitely get the second dose 
Natalie, 52, Kotte, entrepreneur
I saw that few people have died of blood clots after receiving the vaccine. But it is a small number compared to the large number of the public who have received the vaccine already. There are various rumours going around that young people on birth control pills will experience blood clotting if they get vaccinated. I don’t believe these rumours. Any vaccination has side effects and vaccine-related complications. I received the first dose of the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covishield vaccine and I have been confident to go out to society when I am vaccinated. I know that it does not protect me from Covid-19 100%. But it gives me some protection and I would definitely get the second dose when I am receiving it. I am a person with comorbidities. However, when I went to get vaccinated, the health staff did not tell me anything about side effects, allergies, or things I could experience. They asked me to fill a form and got me to sit down for 15 minutes after receiving the vaccine. I did not experience any side effects and I did not get fever or have body pains.
Already had doubts
Nilupulee, 25, Kurunegala, lecturer
I have not been vaccinated against Covid-19 but I was not sure of vaccination even before the reports of blood clotting after the AstraZeneca vaccine. I don’t know whether the clotting is caused by the vaccine or whether it is because of some other health issue those recipients have had. I always felt that there was not enough data for the vaccine to know if the vaccine is absolutely safe. I am worried that I will have to suffer a more serious illness due to the vaccine, something that would be even more serious than Covid-19. When it seemed as though the situation was getting better I was relieved that I might not have to get vaccinated. But if it is getting worse, I am more worried and I would think twice before getting vaccinated. I was not especially affected by the announcement about blood clotting because I already had doubts. I wouldn’t ask others to not get vaccinated. It is their choice and it is good to be vaccinated. But I believe that we should get the best vaccine that is available in the world.
No worries about being vaccinated 
Samantha, 49, Seeduwa, IT consultant
I got vaccinated in February and I will get the second dose if it is administered to me. I had no worries about being vaccinated after the news about blood clots. I hear that individuals with heart diseases should be on alert after vaccination. I don’t have such a condition so I am not worried. After receiving the vaccination I experienced some after effects. I had no other complications. The health staff at my vaccination centre gave me information about what I could experience after vaccination and told me what to do incase I experience any allergies or severe side effects. It is good if everyone gets vaccinated, other than those with allergies, of course. Though I got vaccinated, I am careful and I follow all the health guidelines I would have been following otherwise. The vaccine won’t give me protection from the virus 100%. I might still get Covid-19, but I think that it would not be as severe as it would be if I was not vaccinated.
More doubts after news about blood clots
Niroshan, 26, Kandy, government employee
We were told by our office that we would get vaccinated, but we have not been vaccinated yet. Even before this blood clot issue, I had doubts about receiving the vaccination and with the reports of blood clots, I have more doubts now. I am yet to see a doctor telling the media that it is 100% safe. The media did not divulge any clear information and because of that, the doubts have not been cleared. After the blood clots, I am scared to receive the vaccine and I have been trying to find information about it. I also suggested to some of my friends not to receive the vaccine because it feels unsafe. If anyone who has the knowledge and expertise clearly stated that the vaccine is safe, there would be no issue and I would receive the vaccine. If I have to get it, that is if we are offered the vaccine, I would get it because I would not have an option if Covid-19 gets worse and hopefully nothing bad will happen if I get vaccinated.
Good if everyone gets vaccinated
Harrison, 64, Piliyandala, entrepreneur
I saw that the Minister of Health had revealed that three people had died of blood clots after receiving the AstraZeneca vaccine. But I have no doubts or worries about the vaccine and would go for the second dose. When I received the first dose, I had a few side effects but after taking a paracetamol, all of my pains went away. I think it is good if everyone gets vaccinated after considering the health conditions they have and whether it is safe or not for them to be vaccinated. I have diabetes and I take medicine for that and I go to the clinic for that. When I went there, I was informed about the vaccination and what I should watch out for. I even got instructions from our area Medical Officer of Health (MOH).
Will go for second dose but everyone has a choice
Adil, 25, Meegoda, health sector media consultant
I received the vaccination early on because I am in the frontlines. We were initially informed that the second dose would be administered in March but we did not receive it. The fever and body plains after the vaccine lasted two days and I experienced rapid recovery on the third day. However, I felt the impact of the vaccine for about a month. I was worried about the vaccine so I did my independent research and read articles about it. After that, my worries and fears went away. But I have a lot of friends who are HIV positive. They were worried as to whether they should get the vaccine or not because the media did not talk about them. They finally got vaccinated and they did not face any complications because of HIV. They felt confident about getting the vaccine after I told them what I found through my research.
But what about those who have no internet access? So many senior citizens are concerned about getting the vaccine. People were more concerned when they heard about the blood clots and this news went viral. But after the speech in Parliament, I heard my friends say that it is the AstraZeneca vaccine that has issues and not Covishield, which is what they received. People don’t know that it is the same vaccine. I have personal doubts about the vaccine because the vaccine has not been tested for a long period of time and we do not know what the long-term effects are. Even after receiving the vaccine, I hear that many of those in the health sector still severely suffered from Covid-19 when they were infected. I will definitely go for the second dose and I recommend it to others as well. I won’t force anyone to get vaccinated because it is their choice.
Natalie, 52, Kotte, entrepreneur
I saw that few people have died of blood clots after receiving the vaccine. But it is a small number compared to the large number of the public who have received the vaccine already. There are various rumours going around that young people on birth control pills will experience blood clotting if they get vaccinated. I don’t believe these rumours. Any vaccination has side effects and vaccine-related complications. I received the first dose of the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covishield vaccine and I have been confident to go out to society when I am vaccinated. I know that it does not protect me from Covid-19 100%. But it gives me some protection and I would definitely get the second dose when I am receiving it. I am a person with comorbidities. However, when I went to get vaccinated, the health staff did not tell me anything about side effects, allergies, or things I could experience. They asked me to fill a form and got me to sit down for 15 minutes after receiving the vaccine. I did not experience any side effects and I did not get fever or have body pains.
Already had doubts
Nilupulee, 25, Kurunegala, lecturer
I have not been vaccinated against Covid-19 but I was not sure of vaccination even before the reports of blood clotting after the AstraZeneca vaccine. I don’t know whether the clotting is caused by the vaccine or whether it is because of some other health issue those recipients have had. I always felt that there was not enough data for the vaccine to know if the vaccine is absolutely safe. I am worried that I will have to suffer a more serious illness due to the vaccine, something that would be even more serious than Covid-19. When it seemed as though the situation was getting better I was relieved that I might not have to get vaccinated. But if it is getting worse, I am more worried and I would think twice before getting vaccinated. I was not especially affected by the announcement about blood clotting because I already had doubts. I wouldn’t ask others to not get vaccinated. It is their choice and it is good to be vaccinated. But I believe that we should get the best vaccine that is available in the world.
No worries about being vaccinated
Samantha, 49, Seeduwa, IT consultant
I got vaccinated in February and I will get the second dose if it is administered to me. I had no worries about being vaccinated after the news about blood clots. I hear that individuals with heart diseases should be on alert after vaccination. I don’t have such a condition so I am not worried. After receiving the vaccination I experienced some after effects. I had no other complications. The health staff at my vaccination centre gave me information about what I could experience after vaccination and told me what to do incase I experience any allergies or severe side effects. It is good if everyone gets vaccinated, other than those with allergies, of course. Though I got vaccinated, I am careful and I follow all the health guidelines I would have been following otherwise. The vaccine won’t give me protection from the virus 100%. I might still get Covid-19, but I think that it would not be as severe as it would be if I was not vaccinated.
More doubts after news about blood clots
Niroshan, 26, Kandy, government employee
We were told by our office that we would get vaccinated, but we have not been vaccinated yet. Even before this blood clot issue, I had doubts about receiving the vaccination and with the reports of blood clots, I have more doubts now. I am yet to see a doctor telling the media that it is 100% safe. The media did not divulge any clear information and because of that, the doubts have not been cleared. After the blood clots, I am scared to receive the vaccine and I have been trying to find information about it. I also suggested to some of my friends not to receive the vaccine because it feels unsafe. If anyone who has the knowledge and expertise clearly stated that the vaccine is safe, there would be no issue and I would receive the vaccine. If I have to get it, that is if we are offered the vaccine, I would get it because I would not have an option if Covid-19 gets worse and hopefully nothing bad will happen if I get vaccinated.
Good if everyone gets vaccinated
Harrison, 64, Piliyandala, entrepreneur
I saw that the Minister of Health had revealed that three people had died of blood clots after receiving the AstraZeneca vaccine. But I have no doubts or worries about the vaccine and would go for the second dose. When I received the first dose, I had a few side effects but after taking a paracetamol, all of my pains went away. I think it is good if everyone gets vaccinated after considering the health conditions they have and whether it is safe or not for them to be vaccinated. I have diabetes and I take medicine for that and I go to the clinic for that. When I went there, I was informed about the vaccination and what I should watch out for. I even got instructions from our area Medical Officer of Health (MOH).
Will go for second dose but everyone has a choice
Adil, 25, Meegoda, health sector media consultant
I received the vaccination early on because I am in the frontlines. We were initially informed that the second dose would be administered in March but we did not receive it. The fever and body plains after the vaccine lasted two days and I experienced rapid recovery on the third day. However, I felt the impact of the vaccine for about a month. I was worried about the vaccine so I did my independent research and read articles about it. After that, my worries and fears went away. But I have a lot of friends who are HIV positive. They were worried as to whether they should get the vaccine or not because the media did not talk about them. They finally got vaccinated and they did not face any complications because of HIV. They felt confident about getting the vaccine after I told them what I found through my research.
But what about those who have no internet access? So many senior citizens are concerned about getting the vaccine. People were more concerned when they heard about the blood clots and this news went viral. But after the speech in Parliament, I heard my friends say that it is the AstraZeneca vaccine that has issues and not Covishield, which is what they received. People don’t know that it is the same vaccine. I have personal doubts about the vaccine because the vaccine has not been tested for a long period of time and we do not know what the long-term effects are. Even after receiving the vaccine, I hear that many of those in the health sector still severely suffered from Covid-19 when they were infected. I will definitely go for the second dose and I recommend it to others as well. I won’t force anyone to get vaccinated because it is their choice.