Covaxin co warns people with med conditions not to take jab

Covaxin co warns people with med conditions not to take jab

Not Advised For Pregnant Women Either

Sushmi.Dey@timesgroup.com

NewDelhi:19.01.2021

People who are immuno-compromised or are on medicines that affect the immune system are advised not to take the anti-Covid vaccine Covaxin, a detailed factsheet released by its manufacturer Bharat Biotech said.

Earlier, the government had said patients on immunosuppressants or suffering from immune deficiency could take the vaccine though the response was expected to be less effective in such individuals. Usually, cancer patients on chemotherapy, HIV-positive people and those on steroids are immune-suppressed. While the risk of infection is higher in such patients, doctors also say efficiency of vaccines is often very low in such groups.

Bharat Biotech has advised people with bleeding disorders or who are on blood thinners to avoid the shot. Also, those who are acutely ill, have fever or have any history of allergy, besides pregnant or lactating mothers were also advised against taking the jab. The factsheet suggested that if any recipient developed symptoms of Covid-19, it should be recorded as an adverse event with outcomes of RT-PCR test as proof.

Doctors said the factsheet from Bharat Biotech could be in the light of adverse events — most of them mild — reported from across the country.

Over 10,000 health staff in TN get shots in a day

As many as 10,256 healthcare workers were inoculated against Covid-19 in TN on Monday. It was more than half of the targeted 17,700 beneficiaries for the day. While 10,051 healthcare providers received Covishield vaccine in 160 centres, 205 others opted for Covaxin from six state-run medical college hospitals. As many as 460 healthcare workers were given the shots in The Nilgiris, while in Coimbatore 481were vaccinated. Achieving only 6.7% of the day’s target, Nagapattinam was one of the low performing districts, followed by Tuticorin at 10%. At least 56 healthcare workers opted for Covaxin in Chennai, while 37 opted for it in Tirunelveli. P 4

2nd beneficiary dies; 1st death ‘not related to vax’

A day after Moradabad district hospital ward boy Mahipal Singh, 46, one of those vaccinated against Covid-19, died, another hospital worker — a 43-year-old attender in Karnataka’s Ballari district — passed away on Monday. Both had received the shots on Saturday.

Nagaraj, a patient of diabetes and hypertension, died of a heart attack. “Prima facie, his death isn’t related to vaccination,” the Karnataka government said. Singh’s death was caused due to a cardio-pulmonary disease and wasn’t a result of the vaccination, the Centre said.P 8

More Co-WIN glitches reported

The glitch-prone Co-WIN app failed to inject integration efficiency into the massive pan-India vaccination exercise for the second consecutive day on Monday. While some states faced minor glitches, most struggled to get going in the face of data lag, erroneous communication or total system failure. As a result, the Haryana government allowed vaccinations without pre-registering of recipients. P 8

‘Flu-like symptoms resolve on their own’

All flu-like symptoms, including fever, headache, body ache, tiredness and chills, are adverse reactions of a vaccine if they appear within 48 hours and resolved on their own, vaccine experts said. Not all side-effects were adverse events and not all adverse events were related to the vaccine. The terms should be used very cautiously, said experts. P 8

Limited vax doses to be exported

The government on Monday decided to export limited doses of Covid-19 vaccines to friendly countries as a “goodwill gesture” to meet some of their immediate requirements, sources said. Covaxin will be sent to Mongolia, Oman, Myanmar, Philippines, Bahrain, Maldives and Mauritius, while Covishield will be sent to Bhutan, Seychelles, Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Nepal. P 8

‘Vaccinated person can catch Covid, infection likely to be mild’

Experts have said that though a vaccinated person can catch Covid-19, the infection is likely to be  mild.

The company said the advice was intended to be precautionary. “There is a remote chance that the Bharat Biotech Covid-19 vaccine (Covaxin) could cause a severe allergic reaction… may very rarely occur,” the company said. It added that signs of severe allergic reaction could include difficulty in breathing, swelling of face and throat, fast heart beat, rashes all over the body, dizziness and weakness.

“Tell the vaccinator/officer about all your medical conditions, including: Are you on regular medication for any illness? If yes, for how long and for which condition,” the factsheet said.

A health ministry advisory to states before the rollout of the vaccination programme on January 16 had listed history of allergy, pregnancy and lactation as contraindications. As provisional measures, it had suggested delaying vaccination by 4-8 weeks after recovery among acutely unwell or hospitalised patients along with those infected with Covid-19 and patients who had been treated with convalescent plasma.

The clinical efficacy of Covaxin is yet to be established and it is still being studied in Phase 3 trials. “Hence, it was important to appreciate that receiving the vaccine does not mean that other precautions related to Covid-19 need not be followed,” the factsheet said.

The government has procured 55 lakh doses of Covaxin, which have been distributed among 12 states and UTs.

A medic administers Covid vaccine to a lady constable at a military hospital in Prayagraj on Monday