Since India’s coronavirus vaccination drive began on January 16, more than 12 crore people have been vaccinated, making India the fastest country to achieve the milestone.
As the vaccination drive continues, with people aged below 45 years waiting for their turn to get inoculated, many have questioned if it is safe to get vaccinated while they are having COVID-19 symptoms or will it affect the efficacy of the vaccine.
According to Dr Mahesh Joshi, CEO, Apollo Home Healthcare, one must postpone their vaccination plans if they have COVID-19 symptoms. A CNBC-TV18 report quoted him as saying: “It is a tricky question. I don’t think there is a specific guideline on to this but all I can say is if the symptoms are suggestive of being COVID then one can postpone the second dose by a couple of weeks and see how things are evolving.”
Dr Vivek Nangia, Principal Director of Pulmonology at Max Hospital, agreed that vaccine beneficiaries must postpone their plans to get the jab if they are displaying even mild COVID-19 symptoms.
He said: “Even if there are mild symptoms postpone your vaccine right now. It can totally be catastrophic if you take a vaccination in the presence of an ongoing infection. Even if there is an iota of doubt that you could be suffering from an ailment and RT-PCR is negative which is happening quite often these days still hold on with the vaccination shot. There is no emergency, as it is the studies have shown that if you delay the vaccine, it is better. The immune response is better if the vaccine is delayed till up till 12 weeks, so don’t panic, don’t rush.
Discover the latest Business News, Sensex, and Nifty updates. Obtain Personal Finance insights, tax queries, and expert opinions on Moneycontrol or download the Moneycontrol App to stay updated!
