There’s a lot of buzz surrounding the development of Covid-19 vaccines in India. With the pandemic now in its tenth-month vaccine, everybody is getting desperate and anxious about the availability and adverse side effects of Covid vaccine.
The safe delivery of vaccines to the people is a massive challenge and as India is gearing up to confront its single biggest public health challenge and prepares to launch the largest-ever mass immunization drive, many questions are in minds of common people with regards to the efficacy of the vaccine.
To get some of your question answered, we talk to Dr. Arun Wadhwa, a senior consultant pediatrician.
- When is the Corona vaccine likely to be available?
Ans- Probably, the Government will get it by January 2021, and the private market by March.
- Do we all need to take it?
Ans- Yes, all should take it.
- Who will get it first?
Ans- It will be prioritized. First, frontline workers and first responders like paramedical staff, civil servants, police, army, politicians, and their relatives will get it. People more than 50 years of age, and those with co-morbidities like diabetes, HT, transplant, and chemotherapy patients will get it next. Healthy adults, teenagers, children’s turn will come last.
- How will it be given?
Ans- Through public and private centers, by doctors, dentists, nurses, and trained paramedics.
- What is the recommended dose and schedule?
Ans- Two doses are given 21 days or 28 days apart depending on the vaccine used.
- What if I take only one dose?
Ans- One dose will give you only partial protection of maybe 60-80% and will not last long enough. For complete protection, you must take two doses at recommended intervals.
- What if I forget to take the second dose? Should I take the first again?
Ans- Just take the second dose at the earliest. No need to repeat the first dose.
- Are both doses the same?
Ans- In most of the vaccines it will be the same dose given twice. However, Sputnik- V vaccine has both doses as different vector viruses, so will be marked as dose 1 and 2. Oxford-AZ vaccine may also come out with the first dose as a half dose.
- Do you need to take it even if you had Corona? If yes, then one should take after how many days of getting cured?
Ans- Yes. But that will be last on the priority list. You can let others take who probably need more than you. You might need it earlier if you did not develop an antibody response.
- Can it be administered to an individual who has received plasma as a treatment for Covid?
Ans- The donor plasma contains anti-Covid-19 antibodies and may suppress the immune response to the vaccine. As it is, those who have recovered from Covid-19 may not need the vaccine in the early phases.
- Can a pregnant lady or a lactating mother take the vaccine?
Ans- No company has yet tested the vaccine in pregnancy. CDC has advised against giving the vaccine to pregnant and lactating mothers. UK authorities have advised women not to get pregnant for two months after the shot. Since the vaccines available till now are not live vaccines, it should not cause any problem if given inadvertently.
