COVID-19 vaccination | Who will not receive the vaccine, what are the side-effects?

The two vaccines that are currently being rolled out in India - Covishield and Covaxin - are safe.

In March 2020, the world was hit by the coronavirus. A year later, after the COVID-19 pandemic has taken the lives of nearly 1.5 lakh Indians, India is finally going to kick-start its vaccination drive.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on January 16 at 10.30 am will inaugurate this nationwide drive via video conferencing. On the first day of the vaccination drive, over three lakh healthcare officials are set to be vaccinated. In Delhi alone, 8,000 workers will be vaccinated each day.

Two vaccines have been granted emergency use approval in India - Covishield, developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca and produced by Serum Institute of India, and COVAXIN, developed and produced in India by Bharath Biotech.

Follow our LIVE blog for the latest updates of the coronavirus pandemic

The Union health ministry has put out an advisory regarding all the do's & dont's of the vaccination drive. Here's everything you need to know:

-The vaccine will be administered to people only above 18 years of age in two doses.

-The vaccines are not interchangeable. Both the vaccine doses have to be administered from the same manufacturer.

-If any other vaccine is needed there should be a gap of at least 14 days.

Who will not be given the vaccine?

Certain contraindications, or conditions, and factors have been kept in mind. People who exhibit these conditions will not be administered the vaccine:

-Pregnant and lactating women have not been a part of any COVID-19 vaccine trail, so they along with women who are unsure about their pregnancy have been asked not to take the vaccine shot.

-People who have any history of allergic reactions to previous doses of COVID-19 will not be given the shot.

-Along with that those of have an immediate or delayed allergic reaction to vaccines or injectable therapies, pharmaceutical products, and food items will also not be given the vaccine.

Also Read: Mumbai preparing to vaccinate 50,000 people against COVID-19 daily: Report

Provisional contraindications:

In the following conditions, the COVID-19 vaccine will be deferred by 4-8 weeks after recovery:

-Persons having active symptoms of SARS-CoV-2 infection.

-SARS-CoV-2 patients who have been given SARS-CoV-2 monoclonal antibodies or convalescent plasma.

-Acutely unwell and hospitalized (with or without intensive care) patients due to any illness.

COVID-19 Vaccine Tracker: All you need to know about manufacturing and pricing

Conditions not contraindicated for vaccine:

-Persons with past history of SARS-CoV-2 infection (sero-positivïty) and or RT-PCR positive illness.

-History of chronic diseases and morbidities (cardiac, neurological, pulmonary, metabolic, renal, malignancies).

-Immuno-deficiency, HIV, patients on immune-suppression due to any condition. However, the response to the Covid-19 vaccine may be less in these individuals.

What special precautions are to be taken?

Those people that have a history of bleeding or coagulation disorder like lotting factor deficiency, coagulopathy, or platelet disorder must be administered the vaccine with extra precautions.

Also Read: COVID-19 vaccination in Delhi | Over 8,000 health workers to be vaccinated every day; all you need to know

What are the side-effects?

A list of side effects or adverse effect following immunization(AEFI) for both Covaxin and Covishield were also released by the government:

For Covaxin, the AEFIs are:

-Antibody response may be impaired due to the use of chloroquine and corticosteroids.

-Other than that some mild symptoms are: injection site pain, headache, fatigue, fever, body ache, abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting, giddiness-dizziness, tremor, sweating, cold, cough, and injection site sweating.

For Covishield, the AEFIs are:

-Headache, fatigue, myalgia (pain in muscle), injection site tenderness, malaise (weakness), pyrexia, chills, arthralgia, and nausea.

-As relief for these mild effects, paracetamol can be given.

Also Read: No choice between vaccines will be given to priority group: Head of epidemiology, ICMR

Administrative guidelines:

In the ministry's directive, it is clearly mentioned that all programme managers have to ensure that every precaution and contraindication is communicated well across all levels so that cold-chain handlers and vaccinators have a ready reference.

The directive also mentioned the government's vaccination app, CO-WIN, which the backbone of this massive inoculation drive. While currently, the app is only accessible to healthcare workers, in a month's time it will available for the general public as well to self-register for the vaccination drive.

Also Read: COVID-19 vaccine: Short supply raises fear of booming black market