Coronavirus Vaccination in India: Everything you need to know from myths to facts.

The world's largest vaccination drive is going on in India and has entered its phase three, where everyone in the age bracket of 18-44 years is getting inoculated. The vaccination drive began in India on January 16, 2021. 

The first phase was aimed at immuning healthcare workers and frontline workers on priority, the second phase then opened up for people over 60 years of age and for people within the age bracket of 45-60 years with specific co-morbidities.

Vaccination for Covid-19 is voluntary in India, but to protect oneself against this disease and also to limit the spread of this disease to your close contacts, ( including family members, friends, relatives and co-workers) it is important that people get vaccinated.

So, how many people of the eligible slot will volunteer and register, remains a big question? ( Thanks to the religious bias, spreading myths, lack of knowledge and orthodox beliefs, there still lies a heavy chunk of our population who would require to be motivated ) and then the slow availability of the vaccine is also a cause of concern.

It has been hard for everyone since Coronavirus came into our lives but thanks to all the hardwork people have put in behind the curtains that we have the vaccines now. 

But a feeling of doubt always relishes on our optimism especially when there is so much information circulating all around. So much speculation, but what is important above everything else is our individual responsibility to follow the guidelines issued by the government time to time and get vaccinated. As the old saying goes," Precaution is better than Cure."

Don't Panic, Be Calm, Think Positive, be updated, fight and win.

As per America's top public health expert Dr Anthony Fauci, Vaccination is the only long-term solution for India's worsening Covid crisis.

Also Read: Variant accelerating India's Covid-19 explosion: WHO top scientist

So let's get updated:

COVID-19 vaccines licensed in India:

Vaccines that have been granted emergency use authorization by the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) in India are:

Covishield® (AstraZeneca's vaccine manufactured by Serum Institute of India) 

Covaxin® (manufactured by Bharat Biotech Limited).

Russia's Sputnik - V

Recently amidst the deadly second wave of infections, Russia's Sputnik V, a third coronavirus vaccine has also been approved for emergency use and will be in the market soon.

The concerned authorities have been in touch with vaccine manufacturers like Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson. And hence WHO-approved Covid-19 vaccines can soon come to India. 

Where should you register for the vaccination?

Register on the Co-WIN Portal and schedule your vaccination appointment.

( Don't fall for fake sites)

Registration is mandatory. Only after registration the information on session site and time will be shared.

You will have to give some basic information and details of your photo identification card.

From one mobile phone number, one can register 4 people, however, each person needs his own photo identification document. ( Photo identification is a must for both registration and verification.)

If Aadhar card is used as identification document, consent will be obtained and recorded.

Vaccines are available at notified Government and Private Health Facilities known as COVID Vaccination Centres (CVCs)

The list of available CVCs and dates and time of available vaccination slots can be checked on the Portal. 

An OTP verification is done prior to the registration and a confirmation slip/token is given once the registration is done. A confirmatory sms is also sent to you later.

Online Registeration is compulsory for getting vaccinated at private hospitals, However Government hospitals are also providing on site Registration and vaccination.

Following online registration, you will receive SMS on your registered mobile number about the due date, place and time of vaccination.

After all doses of vaccine are administered, a QR code based certificate will also be sent to your registered mobile number.

For more details, and to register use the below given link👇

https://www.cowin.gov.in/home

Alternatively, you can also register for vaccination through the Aarogya Setu App.

(Click on the CoWIN tab appearing on the homescreen of the app)

What is the dose schedule of both the vaccines?

The time interval between two doses of the Covishield vaccine was firstly extended from four-six weeks to four-eight weeks and now has been extended to twelve to sixteen weeks. The second dose of Covaxin can be taken four to six weeks after the first.

As the vaccines available are nothing interchangeable, it is important to receive the second dose of the same vaccine as the first one. the co-win portal is also going to help to ensure that everyone receives the same vaccine.

Some facts as per the Ministry of Health and family welfare (Government of India)

• To avoid spreading the infection at the vaccination site, Infected individuals( confirmed/ suspected) should defer vaccination for 14 days after symptoms resolution.
• Individuals who have recovered from Covid-19 infection should wait for 4-8 weeks after recovery from COVID symptoms before getting the vaccine.
• Individuals taking medicines for illnesses like Cancer, Diabetes, Hypertension etc, or  suffering from HTN/DM/CKD/heart disease/lipid disorders etc are considered to be among the high risk category. They need to get COVID-19 vaccination. However, if you are concerned for any specific reason, please consult your doctor.
• Individuals with Chronic diseases and morbidities like the cardiac, neurological, pulmonary, metabolic, renal and malignancies etc. are not contraindicated. The Covid-19 vaccines reduce the risk of serious Covid -19 disease in such persons, so they should get vaccinated.
• Individuals with a history of bleeding or coagulation disorder should take the vaccine under the supervision of their treating physician. Patients who are admitted in hospital or ICU and have bleeding problems should delay the vaccination till they are discharged. However, people with heart and brain disorders who are on blood thinners like aspirin and antiplatelet drugs. They can continue with their medicines and have the vaccines. For them, vaccines are absolutely safe.
• The health advisory also states that those with immunity issues should be cautious about taking the vaccine.
• You should continue to follow the COVID-19 appropriate behaviour even after getting vaccinated i.e., mask, social distancing and hand sanitization to protect yourself and those around you.
• As the vaccines available are not interchangeable, it is important to receive the second dose of the same vaccine as the first one. The Co-WIN portal is also going to help to ensure that everyone receives the same vaccine.

For more details, check the following link

https://www.mohfw.gov.in 

Covishield®: Some mild symptoms may occur like injection site tenderness, injection site pain, headache, fatigue, myalgia, malaise, pyrexia, chills and arthralgia, nausea. Very rare events of demyelinating disorders have been reported following vaccination with this vaccine but without the causal relationship establishment.

Covaxin®: Some mild symptoms AEFIs may occur like injection site pain, headache, fatigue, fever, body ache, abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting, dizziness-giddiness, tremor, sweating, cold, cough and injection site swelling. No other vaccine-related serious adverse effects have been reported.

Source : mohfw website

In case of minor adverse effects such as injection site pain, tenderness, malaise, pyrexia, etc., paracetamol may be used to alleviate the symptoms.

Myths surrounding the COVID-19 vaccine:

• Taking the vaccine can cause one to get the virus. No, none of the approved vaccines contain live virus, so they cannot make you sick with the virus.

• After getting a COVID-19 vaccine, one will test positive for COVID-19 on a viral test. None of the authorized and recommended COVID-19 vaccines can cause you to test positive on viral test.

• You don't require the vaccine if you've already gotten and recovered from the virus. If you have recovered from Covid-19, it does not ensure you life long immunity. Vaccines help in developing a strong immune response against the disease, so you need to get vaccinated irrespective of your past.
• There is no need to wear a mask and follow other precautions after getting the vaccine. Wearing a mask, social distancing and hygiene are a must to protect yourself from getting infected again.
• The vaccines might be unsafe since they were developed so quickly. Vaccines have been introduced in the country only after the regulatory bodies cleared them based on their safety and efficacy.
• The vaccine can contribute to infertility or miscarriage. There is no such evidence.
• Natural immunity is better than vaccine-acquired immunity. A vaccine may weaken the immune system. Vaccines help in developing a strong immune response against the disease, so they do not weaken the immune system in anyway.
• Vaccines cause autism. There is no connection between the two.
• Alcohol needs to be avoided after receiving the Covid 19 vaccine. There is no evidence of alcohol impairing the effectiveness of the vaccine.
• Covid- 19 vaccines can alter your DNA. No, COVID-19 vaccines do not change or interact with your DNA in any way.

• Pregnant or breastfeeding women can not get vaccinated. The vaccines used in India have not been given the go-ahead for pregnancy and lactation yet. However, this is expected to change soon as it is allowed in the rest of the world. 

Also Read: Vaccine Hesitancy: What It Means And How We Can Tackle It, Experts Explain

Coronavirus second wave in India : Let's fight back

कोरोनावायरस - मास्क पहने, कोरोना से बचें और औरों को भी बचाएं।

Note: Coronavirus is a serious issue, please don't circulate fake news related to it. Rely on authentic govt guidelines and information only.

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(हिन्दी में या किसी अन्य भाषा में पढ़ने के लिए ऊपर साइड बार पर गूगल ट्रांसलेट बटन पर हिंदी या अन्य पसंदीदा भाषा का चयन करें।)