After a long spell of the pandemic, the buzz around distribution of vaccines for COVID 19 has brought about a hope of normalcy among people. Government bodies and health organisation across the globe are gearing up for the roll out of the world’s biggest vaccination inoculation drive across the country.
Dr Suranjit Chatterjee, Senior Consultant Internal Medicine, Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals shared his insights on this topic and answered some common questions on the Covid19 vaccination jab, he said, Amidst this excitement people do have several questions regarding the availability, efficacy and safety of the vaccines and the process of the vaccination drive. Here are some facts one must know about the vaccine:
Which Vaccines are available in India?
India has given emergency use authorization to two vaccines, Oxford’s Covishield being manufactured by Serum Institute in India and Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin. About seven other vaccines are being developed in India, while some others can be imported from abroad, including the one developed by global pharma giant Pfizer which has also applied for import and sale of its vaccine for emergency use authorisation in the Indian continent.
What about the Safety of the vaccine?
The safety of the vaccine is among the biggest concerns of people, scientists, doctors and governments alike. Hence, all the precautionary measures that were being followed in the approval of other vaccines in the past were also been followed in the case of coronavirus vaccine.
The vaccination drive
- Priority groups for vaccination drive- Around 3 crore healthcare workers and frontline workers have been prioritised for the initial stage of vaccination drive. Thereafter, 27 crore people consisting of those above 50 years of age and then those under 50 with co-morbidities will be vaccinated.
- Registration for vaccination drive- The eligible beneficiaries will be informed on their registered mobile numbers about the healthcare facility where the vaccination will be provided and the scheduled time for the same. The registration of a beneficiary is compulsory for vaccination for Covid-19. Co-WIN — a vaccine delivery management application — has been developed to provide real-time information of vaccine stocks, their storage temperature and individualized tracking of beneficiaries of the Covid-19 vaccine.
- However, healthcare and frontline workers are not required to register themselves as the app is not accessible for the public yet. This platform will assist the programme managers across all stages through automated session allocation for pre-registered beneficiaries, their verification and for generating a digital certificate upon successful completion of the vaccine schedule.
- A valid identification card with a photo such as driving license, Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) job card, PAN card, passbooks issued by Bank/Post Office, passport, pension document, service identity card issued to employees by Central/ State Govt. / Public Limited Companies and voter ID may be produced during the time of registration.
- Receipt of information regarding the vaccination
- Once registered, the beneficiaries would receive a message on the mobile number they registered for the drive. The message would have details regarding the time, date as well as the place where they would receive the vaccination shot. The beneficiary would also get a message after they have been administered a dose of the vaccine. Moreover, once a beneficiary has received all the doses of the vaccine, they would also get a QR code certificate on their mobile number for the record.
COVID-19 vaccination FAQs
Is it mandatory to take the vaccine?
Vaccination for COVID-19 is voluntary. However, it is prudent to receive the complete schedule of the COVID-19 vaccine for protecting oneself and limiting the spread of the disease.
Preventive and precautionary measures to be followed at vaccination site:
The beneficiaries must take rest for at least 30 minutes once they have received a dose of the vaccine. Moreover, in case of any discomfort or symptom, the beneficiary must inform the nearest ASHA or ANM worker.
Should A Person Currently Having COVID-19 (Confirmed Or Suspected) Infection Be Vaccinated?
A person who has an active and symptomatic infection of COVID-19 could spread the disease among other people present at the session site. Moreover, the efficiency of the vaccine among patients having active infection is not known yet.
Therefore, patients having symptomatic and active cases of coronavirus should postpone being vaccinated for a minimum of two weeks after the resolution of the symptoms.
It is advisable to receive thecomplete schedule of vaccine irrespective of past history of infection with Covid-19. It will help to develop a better immune response against the contagious disease.
If I Had Already Had COVID-19 And Recovered, Do I Still Need A Vaccine?
It is highly recommended that all individuals should get the complete vaccine schedule, even if they have been infected in the past, as this would only make the immune response more robust.
Can A Person With Comorbid Illness On Medications Take The COVID-19 Vaccine?
Individuals having diseases like diabetes, cancer, hypertension among other illnesses, should undergo vaccination as those having comorbidities fall in the high-risk group. The medication for such illnesses would not impact the efficacy of the vaccine.
What Is the Time Interval Required For The COVID-19 Vaccine Doses Administration?
Every individual would complete the vaccine schedule only once they have been administered two doses of the vaccine at an interval of 28 days.
What about the Development of antibodies?
The antibodies required to protect the person against the virus would be developed generally two weeks after being administered the second dose of the vaccination.
Does The COVID-19 Vaccine Have Any Side Effects?
Vaccines may lead to some people experiencing side-effects like mild fever, body ache, or pain at the injection site etc. Therefore, as a part of the safe vaccine delivery mechanism, the states have been asked to make arrangements to handle any side effects related to the vaccination.