By Dr Richa Sareen, Sr Consultant- Pulmonology at Fortis Hospital Vasant Kunj-
It’s been a year that we have been engulfed in the Covid 19 pandemic now. This has had diverse impacts on us. So many of us and our family members have contracted the disease and many have lost their precious lives. Thousands of patients are battling with post covid symptoms or “long covid”. Add to this the mental trauma, the anxiety, and stress that each one of us has faced every day in the last year. Then there are the economic repercussions that many have faced because of the lockdown.
Fortunately, the new year has brought a new ray of hope for everyone in the form of the Covid 19 vaccine. The world’s largest vaccination drive kick-started in India on the 16th of January 2021. In the first phase, the vaccine was provided to the healthcare workers, followed by the frontline workers, as they were the corona warriors who had been fighting the disease without fearing for their own health.
Now, phase 2 of the vaccination process has begun throughout the country from the 1st of March 2021. This phase of vaccinations targets to cover the senior citizens (age more than 60 years) and people aged 45 years and above who suffer from co-morbid conditions. These comorbid conditions include heart failure patients, low ejection fraction, post-cardiac surgery patients, valvular heart disease patients, patients with end-stage renal disease, lymphoma and leukemia patients, cancer patients on chemotherapy, patients on chronic immunosuppressant drugs, diabetic patients (duration of illness >10 years), hypertensive patients with angina among others.
This phase aims to cover around thirty crore people and will be a major step towards the control of the pandemic in India. The idea behind this selection process is that severity of covid 19 illness and mortality due to it tends to rise with age and the presence of co-morbid illnesses.
The two vaccines; covishield and covaxin are both safe and effective. Its been almost 6 weeks since the start of the vaccination process, with no major adverse event reported amongst the vaccinated people. The only contraindication to the vaccine in the presence of an allergic tendency to any vaccine in the past. People who are on blood-thinning medicines, need to be cautious and consult their physician before taking the shot. Rest everyone can take the vaccine without fear. It is also important to continue wearing the mask, practice social distancing and hand hygiene post-vaccination also, as protective antibodies form over a period of time.
We should spread awareness about the covid 19 vaccination drive and encourage the elders in our family to get vaccinated, as this is the only way to protect ourselves from the dreaded covid 19 illness. As more and more people get vaccinated in India, we will approach herd immunity and the transmission rate will reduce. Please do not believe in fake rumors and have trust in the healthcare of our country. Embrace vaccination with open arms and stay safe.
