Q: Developing a vaccine takes years. But this time our scientists have developed a vaccine against the novel corona virus in such a short time. How was this possible?
• Developing a vaccine generally involves years of research. First, we need a vaccine candidate that is evaluated in animals for its safety and efficacy. After a vaccine candidate passes a pre-clinical trial, it enters the clinical trial phase. While scientists have worked round the clock in the laboratory, even regulatory approvals which used to take several months have been fast-tracked. It helped eliminate all the time lapses between the preclinical and clinical trial stages. Earlier, the vaccine development involved a series of steps, but in the case of the coronavirus vaccine, the scientists and regulators worked in tandem, accelerating the whole process without compromises on any protocols and any step.
Q. What is vaccine safety? How do we know that COVID vaccines being administered are safe?
• The national drug regulators approve introduction of a vaccine only after careful analysis of data from laboratory tests and clinical trials to establish the safety and efficacy of the vaccine. Even after introduction of vaccine into immunization programme, all adverse events following vaccine administration are reported and investigated by experts to see if they are coincidental (happened by chance) or if they have any potential linkages to vaccination
Q. Do the vaccines work? Why are so many people still getting COVID after being vaccinated? What is the use of getting vaccinated if I can still get COVID?
• COVID-19 vaccines prevent people from getting moderate to severe forms of disease and death, once they have received both doses of an approved vaccine and have completed a period of two weeks after the second dose.
Vaccinated individuals, however, may still get infected and transmit the infection to their loved ones who may still be vulnerable to the infection. Hence, one should continue to follow COVID appropriate behaviours even after getting vaccinated to reduce their risk of getting infected. This means that we wear a mask, wash/sanitize hands and keep a distance of 6 feet from people. Other CAB like avoiding unnecessary travel, avoiding crowed places and events etc. should also be followed rigorously. While vaccinated persons may get infected, such persons usually have less severe forms of disease and have a reduced risk of hospitalization and death.
Q. Does vaccination protect me against newer strains / mutated virus of SARS-CoV2?
• The body responds to vaccination by making more than one type of antibodies to virus parts including spike protein. Therefore, all vaccines are expected to provide reasonable amount of protection against the mutated virus also. Based on the available data the mutations as reported are unlikely to make the vaccine ineffective.
Q. Which vaccine is better between Covishield®/ Covaxin®/Sputnik V?
• All vaccines would work well in preventing the infection as well as prevent a person from going into severe state of the disease. As a longterm effect, it would be preventing death for elderly people or those who have comorbidities.
Q. Does having side effects mean that the vaccine is working? What does having no side effects mean? Is it possible to have delayed side effects from vaccination?
• The vaccine stimulates your immune system to protect you from the virus. This process can sometimes cause minor side effects. Typical side effects of the COVID-19 vaccines are:
•pain or swelling at the injection site
•fever
•chills
•tiredness and headache
In most cases, this is normal. Contact your care provider if the tenderness (pain) where you got the injection increases after 24 hours, or if the side effects do not go away after a few days. However, not everyone experiences these side effects. You do not have to have side effects in order to be protected. Remember that you can feel sick from illnesses not related to COVID-19 or vaccination. Contact your healthcare provider if you have any concerns.
Q. Claims on social media suggested that COVID-19 vaccine could affect female fertility. Is it true?
• Rumours or social media posts suggesting that COVID-19 vaccines could cause infertility are not true and totally baseless. Such rumours were floated in the past against other vaccines too for e.g. polio and measles. None of the available vaccines affects fertility. Vaccines are authorized for use only after their safety and efficacy is assured.
Q. The Health Ministry has advised caution in vaccinating persons with a history of bleeding or coagulation disorder. How does a person know if he/she has a coagulation disorder? What tests can be conducted?
• There are a few bleeding disorders like 'haemophilia'. These persons should take the vaccine under the supervision of their treating physician. Patients who are admitted in hospital or ICU and have bleeding problems should delay the vaccination till they are discharged. However, several people with heart and brain disorders are on blood thinners like aspirin and antiplatelet drugs. They can continue with their medicines and have the vaccines. For them, vaccines are absolutely safe.
Q. If I have COVID-19 infection, can I still get vaccinated? If I miss my second dose due to unavoidable circumstances like lockdown or contracting COVID then what should I do?
• People with active COVID-19 disease or those who have symptoms suggestive of the same should wait to be vaccinated until they have recovered from their illness and have met the criteria for discontinuing isolation; those who have tested positive for COVID-19 but are asymptomatic or without symptoms should wait for three months after becoming asymptomatic before going for vaccination This guidance also applies to people who get COVID-19 before getting their second dose of vaccine. However, if your dose is missed due to other unavoidable circumstances, the missed vaccine dose may be taken at the earliest possible instance.
Persons who are due for their dose of COVID-19 vaccine are permitted to travel to the COVID vaccination centre even during lockdown/curfew.
Q. I came in close contact with COVID patient? Should I get tested for COVID-19 before taking the vaccine?
• Close contacts of COVID patients should be quarantined for a duration of 14 days from the last contact with a confirmed case to minimize the risk of onward Covid transmission. You should take Covid-19 vaccine at the earliest available opportunity without waiting for a negative Covid-19 test result.
Q. What documents are required for registration of eligible beneficiary?
• Any of the below mentioned ID with Photo may be produced at the time of registration:
- Aadhaar Card
- Driving License
- Health Insurance Smart Card issued under the scheme of Ministry of Labour
- Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) Job Card
- Official identity cards issued to MPs/MLAs/MLCs
- PAN Card
- Passbooks issued by Bank/Post Office
- Passport
- Pension Document
- Service Identity Card issued to employees by Central/ State Govt./ Public Limited Companies
- Voter ID
- People with comorbidities will have to carry the certificate of comorbidities, in the format shared in the MOHFW website by a registered medical practitioner.
Q. Which COVID-19 vaccines are licensed in India?
• Two vaccines were granted emergency use authorization by the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) in India, Covishield® (AstraZeneca's vaccine manufactured by Serum Institute of India) and Covaxin® (manufactured by Bharat Biotech Limited). Sputnik - V has been granted EUA in the month of April 2021.\
Q. Does this vaccine provide herd immunity?
• When an increasing number of people get vaccinated in the community, indirect protection through herd immunity develops. The percentage of people who need to be immune in order to achieve herd immunity varies with each disease. For example, its 95% for measles, however the proportion of the population that must be vaccinated against COVID-19 to begin inducing herd immunity is not known.
(Issued by Grace and Care Foundation, Nagaland in association with WHO, Country Office India)
