The vaccination in India has started on January 16. This is a cause for celebration! The end of the long battle against COVID is near. But at the same time, you might have a few questions regarding the COVID-19 vaccination program. It is important to get all your queries answered before you go to get the COVID vaccine administered.
In order to get vaccinated against COVID-19, the person has to get himself/herself registered as the beneficiary on the CO-WIN app specially developed by the Government of India.
Q1: Do I have to get vaccinated?
Ans: In India the COVID vaccine is voluntary. But everyone should get vaccinated to keep themselves and their loved ones safe from the potentially lethal disease. Vaccination will stop the spread of this contagious virus.
A common myth about Covid vaccine is that the natural immunity I get from being sick with COVID-19 is better than the immunity I get from the COVID-19 vaccination. The Fact is: Getting a COVID-19 vaccination is a safer and more dependable way to build immunity to COVID-19 than getting sick with COVID-19.
Dr. Ashish Bajaj – M.B.B.S, M.D.
Q2: Should a person who currently has COVID be vaccinated?
Ans: Any individual who is a suspect of or is a confirmed case of COVID-19 should isolated himself/herself and should postpone getting vaccinated at least for 14 days or till the infection goes away to prevent spreading the infection to the Reframe ” So India knows a thing or two about storing vaccines safely.
According to WHO If you are pregnant, want to get pregnant in the future or are currently breastfeeding, getting vaccinated is important to protect you and your family. Many people around the world have now been vaccinated against COVID-19 while pregnant or breastfeeding, and no safety concerns have been identified for them or their babies.
Dr. M.G. Kartheeka, MBBS, MD
Q3: How is a COVID vaccine selected from the multitude of other vaccines?
Ans: The drug regulatory body goes over the safety and efficacy reports of the vaccine. These reports are prepared after analysing the results of human trials. Only if the reports are satisfactory, the regulatory body grants the coronavirus vaccine the license. Remember, you will need 2 doses of the same coronavirus vaccine.
Q4: Will India be able to store millions of vials of COVID vaccine at 2-8 degrees celsius?
Ans: India’s universal immunization program is the largest in the world. So India knows a thing or two about storing vaccines safely. Even so, the cold chain is being repaired and new cold boxes are being developed to meet the requirements of COVID-19 vaccine roll-out.
Q5: How will a person know if he/she is eligible for the coronavirus vaccine?
Ans: You will be informed through a message to your registered mobile number. The date of the vaccination too will be sent to you.
Q6: If I want to register as an eligible beneficiary, which documents will be needed?
Ans: To register yourself, you will need any of these documents-
The COVID vaccine can save lives & it is the need of the hour. So, follow the instructions from your government and when the time comes, get yourself registered as a beneficiary.
After months of waiting for a COVID-19 vaccine, and desperately wanting our old lives to resume, our prayers have been answered. Several COVID vaccines are almost ready and the Government has stated that roll-out will begin soon.
In this context, the latest update issued by the government has triggered a country-wide debate.
2 vaccines have been given formal approval by the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) – Covishield (Serum Institute of India and Oxford-AstraZeneca) and Covaxin (Bharat Biotech).
The Health Ministry has stated that nearly 3 crore healthcare professionals and frontline workers will be administered with Covishied or Covaxin on an emergency basis because they are in direct line of danger. It is not yet known which of the 2 coronavirus vaccines will be administered.
But we do know that these high-priority groups will be given coronavirus vaccines free of cost. Roll-out will commence within a fortnight.
The CDSCO has given the green light to emergency approval after a recommendation came from a Subject Expert Committee who discussed the merits of the 2 vaccines in multiple sessions spanning 12 hours.
In a press release, the Health Ministry has informed the country that the results of Covidhshied on Indian test volunteers are almost the same as those of international volunteers. No other data is available as of now.
Healthcare professionals have cited some valid reasons for their worries. Firstly, neither Covishield nor Covaxin has completed the phase 3 trials.
We at least know that the efficacy rate of the Oxford vaccine is 70.4 % (based on trials in Brazil and the UK, not India). But Bharat Biotech is yet to publish efficacy reports of Covaxin.
Similarly, the effectiveness percentage of Oxford’s Covishield as per the Indian 3rd phase trials has not yet been released.
Bharat Biotech has provided evidence of safety and immunogenicity (proof that the vaccine triggers an immune response), but has been silent on just how effective its vaccine is!
The Health Ministry has said that the approval applies to ‘ restricted use in emergency situations. This means that this is not a universal roll-out.
Only certain segments of the population will be receiving the vaccines on an emergency basis because the threat they face is high. These people will be monitored and if there is any adverse effect, the vaccines will be withdrawn.
Experts have also said that 3rd phase trials will continue for both Covishield and Covaxin.
Other reasons why some experts feel that emergency use of Covishield and Covaxin is merited are-
Many experts have appealed to the government for explaining the rationale behind such a rushed decision and have asked for access to more data accessible. Mostly, it is beyond the common people. What we can do is observe COVID protocol and keep ourselves and our loved ones safe.
The COVID-19 pandemic seems to be getting more dangerous every day. The country is reeling under a high caseload. Hence, all of us are being urged to be extremely cautious and maintain all precautions to prevent being infected or passing on the virus to our loved one.
At this juncture, a vaccine is the only thing that can save the day. For quite a few days now, we have been hearing reports on how India is making rapid strides in developing a vaccine. The name COVAXIN is doing the rounds. What is it and when can we expect it? Read on to find out.
COVAXIN is India’s first attempt at creating a vaccine that will successfully immunize the human body against the SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. It is actually an ‘inactivated’ vaccine made from killed COVID-19 viruses that will not harm the body when injected but will teach your immunity to recognise and kill COVID-19 virus if it enters your system by producing antibodies.
The vaccine is being developed by the ICMR’s (Indian council of medical research) National Institute of Virology wing as well as Bharat Biotech.
Permission has been granted by the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) to carry out human trials of COVAXIN.
The animal trials have concluded and there will have to be 3 phases of human trial before the vaccine is ready for launch. The DCGI has issued a permit to conduct only Phase 1 and Phase 2 of human trials.
In a letter recently published by the Indian Council of Medical Research, Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS), Hyderabad was selected as a trial site among a total of 12 Institutes (including the Patna and Delhi AIIMS) where the ICMR would be conducting human trials.
The trial at the Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences started on Tuesday, 8th July 2020 and is underway. At least 30 people will be screened and given the vaccine. Audio and visual consent of the persons will be sought before the trial begins.
According to the ICMR, the drug will be administered to 1100 people in different trial sites over the upcoming days and there will be two phases of human trials.
The director of NIMS has said that samples of blood will be drawn from healthy people and sent to New Delhi’s designated labs after which they will be examined by experts and the first-ever shot of COVAXIN will be administered.
The enrolment procedure started on 7th July.
Covaxin is inactivated coronavirus vaccine called Covaxin. India authorized the vaccine for emergency use on Jan. 3, and trial results later showed the vaccine has an efficacy of 78 percent
Dr. M.G. Kartheeka, MBBS, MD
There is another vaccine being developed by Zydus Cadila and Bharat Biotech called Zy-Cov-D. It received a nod from the DCGI to carry out human trials. Zydus Cadila said that it has also procured permission from Mexico to test one of its products to see how effective it can be in COVID-19 management.
The US government is conducting Phase 3 human trials for 3 vaccine companies under the banner of Operation Warp Speed.
People with acute infection or fever or who are allergic to any components of covaxin, or those who had a severe allergic reaction to the first dose of this vaccine should not take covaxin.
Dr. Ashish Bajaj, M.B.B.S., M.D.
According to the ICMR, efforts are on to make the vaccine ready by 15th August 2020.
Remember to not let your guard down because the pandemic is still raging. Follow precautions strictly to stay safe and healthy.
