Written By: Longjam Dineshwori | Updated : December 23, 2020 8:35 AM IST
Vaccines have the power to save lives and accelerate the return to economic normalcy at the earliest, say experts.
Mass vaccinations against COVID-19 has begun in various parts of the world, including the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Russia and China. The Pfizer-BioNTech COVID 19 vaccine has been administered to millions of people after it was authorized for emergency use in some countries. India is yet to approve any vaccine, but Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said that there may be a "potential" coronavirus vaccine by "any week of January" next year. Speaking to a news agency, Vardhan said that the government's first priority has always been the safety and effectiveness of vaccines and they "don't want to compromise on that."
India plans to vaccinate nearly 30 crore people during the first phase, starting with the health workers and elderly people. While people are eagerly waiting for the vaccine, they are concerned about possible side effects, given the vaccines were developed in such a short span of time and approved under emergency use. You might be having a lot of questions about COVID-19 vaccines too like What documents are required for registration of eligible beneficiary? Can COVID-19 patients be vaccinated? and so on.
To clear the doubts of people of India and educate them about the COVID-19 vaccines, the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare recently provided answers to some frequently asked questions about the coronavirus vaccines. Here are some the questions and the answers:
Vaccination for COVID-19 is voluntary. However, the Ministry encourages people to receive the complete schedule of the vaccine for protecting one-self against this disease and also to limit the spread of this disease to the close contacts including family members, friends, relatives and co-workers.
Vaccines will be introduced in the country only after the regulatory bodies clear it based on its safety and efficacy, the Ministry said.
According to the Ministry, COVID-19 infected individuals should defer vaccination for 14 days after symptoms resolution. This is because a person with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 infection may increase the risk of spreading the same to others at vaccination site.
Yes, one should receive complete schedule of COVID vaccine irrespective of past history of infection with COVID-19. This will help in developing a strong immune response against the disease, the Ministry stated.
Yes. Persons with one or more of these comorbid conditions are considered high risk category and they need to get COVID -19 vaccination.
In the initial phase, COVID 19 vaccine will be provided to the priority group- Health Care and Front-line workers. The 50 plus age group may also begin early based on vaccine availability.
The eligible beneficiaries will be informed through their registered mobile number regarding the Health Facility where the vaccination will be provided and the scheduled time for the same. They will receive SMS on their registered mobile number on the due date, place and time of vaccination. After all doses of vaccine are administered, a QR code-based certificate will also be sent to the registered mobile number of the beneficiary.
No, registration of beneficiary is mandatory for vaccination for COVID 19, according to the Health Ministry. Only after registration the information on the session site to visit and time will be shared with the beneficiary.
For registration, one can produce any of the below mentioned ID with Photo:
The Photo ID produced at the time of registration must be produced and verified at the time of vaccination.
The Ministry assures that COVID-19 vaccine will be introduced in India only when the safety is proven. As is true for other vaccines, COVID-19 vaccine may have some common side effects like mild fever, pain, etc. at the site of injection.
The centre has asked states to start making arrangements to deal with any Covid-19 vaccine-related side-effects as one of the measures towards safe vaccine delivery among masses.
In case you feel any discomfort or uneasiness after taking the COVID-19 vaccine, the Health Ministry advises that you should inform the nearest health authorities / ANM / ASHA.
For more information and updates, one can visit www.mohfw.gov.in
