Coronavirus vaccine: When will the corona vaccine be available in India, will everyone have to get vaccinated? Know the answers to 23 such questions
On Sunday, the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) allowed emergency limited use of the Serum Institute and Bharat Biotech's Kovid-19 vaccine. India Biotech Vaccine is named Kovaxin and is the country's first indigenous vaccine for Kovid-19. However, it was only after the DGCI gave approval to use them that questions started to arise on this decision. A section, including the Congress, questioned the effectiveness of this vaccine and asked that how can it be allowed to be used when its Phase III trials have not yet been completed? On January 2, the government again ran a dry run of the Corona vaccine across the country. The process of applying the vaccine was tested in it. However, despite all this, there are many questions about the corona vaccine. Here we are trying to answer some such questions-
When can the corona vaccine be available?
It is difficult to say precisely this, but there are estimates that the vaccine can be started in the next 15 days. Vaccination will be done in a phased manner. Dr Sandeep Budhiraja, group medical director of Max Healthcare, says, "The kind of discussion that is happening is that the vaccine will start in January.
Will everyone have to get this vaccine?
Dr. Preeti Kumar, Vice President, Public Health Foundation, says that the ideal situation is that everyone should take this vaccine except children. She says, "These vaccines were not tried on people under 18 years of age."
Who will be given this vaccine first?
Vaccination will be done in a phased manner. The priority group will be the first to be vaccinated. Dr. Kumar says, "This vaccine will be first introduced to the municipal and other administrative people, doctors and medical people working on the frontline in the fight against Kovid-19." People above 50 years and suffering from other diseases will also come in this group and they will also be tried to be vaccinated in the initial phase itself.
Will people under 50 years of age but suffering from other diseases also come in priority groups?
According to Dr. Kumar, these people will not enter the priority group, because it is a matter of demand and supply. The vaccine will be given first to those directly engaged in the care and treatment of the patients of Kovid-19. The more people the vaccine reaches, the sooner the herd immunity will develop. Dr. Preeti Kumar says that it has been found that around 70 per cent of people get vaccinated and produce herd immunity.
How many people will be covered in the first phase?
In the first phase, there is a plan to vaccinate 300 million people. Later, as the vaccine becomes available, its scope will be expanded accordingly. In this, first 100 million people and later 20 million people are to be vaccinated in this stage.
When will the first phase be completed?
This work will take months and it will all depend on the vaccine supply. Manufacturing, storage and vaccine manpower will play a big role in this.
How will the vaccine be put?
These will be given in two doses. Vaccine points have been created. Efforts will be made to maintain social distancing at these centers. The database of people who will be vaccinated will be created and accordingly they will be vaccinated.
How Safe is the Vaccine?
Corona vaccine's full duration of research is only 9-10 months, so there is no doubt about its safety at the moment. Like any other vaccine, it has been tested. However, Dr. Preeti Kumar says, 'Its long term effect remains to be seen. The impact of a vaccine is fully known in many years, but till date the vaccine tested at such a large level in the world has not been withdrawn. Dr. Budhiraja says, 'Safety of all vaccines is very good. These include slight fever, headache, or pain at the injection site. Overall if a vaccine is up to 50% effective, it is considered successful.
Can corona occur even after applying the vaccine?
Dr. Budhiraja says, "The chances of this are very low and even if someone gets an infection again, it will not be as severe and it is less likely to cause pneumonia or death."
Will the vaccine be effective on the new strain of Corona?
Dr. Budhiraja says, "Based on studies, it is being said that the existing vaccines will also be effective in protecting against changes in the corona." Covaxin in particular is an inactivate hole virus vaccine. These vaccines are effective because they make antibodies against the entire virus and in such a way even if there is a change in the virus.
How often will the vaccine be used and what will be its schedule?
This vaccine will have two doses. In this, the difference between the first dose and the second dose will be 21 to 28 days. Dr. Preeti Kumar says that it has been found that the effect starts 10-14 days after the first dose and it goes on increasing.
Will the current corona patients also be vaccinated? Will those who have been corona also get vaccinated?
The corona patient may be vaccinated 14 days after being fully recovered, but since the availability of the vaccine will be low during the time of the current pandemic, patients recovering from the corona may be vaccinated later. Dr. Budhiraja of Max Healthcare says, "When there is a natural disease, it gets immunity in some time. But, in the case of Corona, we do not know how long this immunity will last. Some people have also had an infection again. In such a situation, people who have recovered from Corona are also being advised to take the vaccine. ' However, they say that people infected with corona get protected from it for three to six weeks and there is no hurry to give them the vaccine.
What will happen if someone misses another dose?
If the dose is missed then other doses can be applied at any time. At present, there is no protocol for this in India, but it is good to get it done as soon as possible.
Should both doses be the same?
A vaccine has to have two doses and both doses must be of the same brand. That is, if you apply the first dose of Kovaxin, then the second vaccine should also be of Kovaxin.
Do people who have taken plasma therapy in the treatment of Kovid also have to be vaccinated?
Such patients will also be treated like other patients recovering from corona.
