Written By: Satata Karmakar | Updated : January 21, 2021 11:10 AM IST
Faced with lower turnouts at COVID-19 vaccination centres, the government has urged the healthcare workers to not to hesitate to get the vaccine shot.
Speaking to the media at a conference, the Centre stressed that it was their social responsibility to get inoculated, and concerns about adverse effects, as of now, seem to be "unfounded, negligible and insignificant".
Following the concerns over the adverse effects and efficacy of the Covid-19 vax shots, NITI Aayog member (health) Dr V K Paul asserted that both the vaccines -- Covishield and Covaxin -- are safe and a lot of effort has gone into making them.
It is saddening that healthcare workers, especially doctors and nurses, are declining to take it, he said.
"We are not fulfilling our societal responsibility if a vaccine assigned to us is not being taken. The whole world is clamouring for a vaccine. I request you to please accept the jab."
"Vaccine hesitancy should extinguish because COVID-19 inoculation is taking us towards the elimination of this calamity," Paul said and disclosed that he himself has taken a jab of Covaxin.
NITI Aayog member (health) Dr V K Paul also said that the concerns about adverse effects, as of now, seem to be "unfounded, negligible and insignificant" and the data shows that "we are in a situation of a lot of comforts".
"We would like to reassure you with data that you have seen that these two vaccines are safe, they do not excite undue reactogenicity and are being accepted increasingly. They are also highly immunogenic," Paul said.
"We are very fortunate that we are running this vaccination drive at a time when the pandemic looks like to be in a controlled situation. So in this period, by taking the jabs, we have to create a wall of vaccine-induced immunity and be ready for any kind of eventuality in future," he said.
Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said every country has been facing vaccine hesitancy.
"Probably the degree of it is slightly more in case of COVID-19, not just in India but across countries because it's a new disease, new vaccine and therefore more confusion."
Vaccine hesitancy was seen in case of polio and Measles-rubella, Bhushan said, "The only way of addressing it is by engaging repeatedly with the beneficiary groups and trying to address all their doubts and confusions. That is our advise to all states and Union Territories."
"Good communication, understanding the facts behind it and taking it as a duty for yourself and for the society," Paul supplemented.
Speaking about whether a person is liable for compensation in case of an adverse event, Bhushan said, "The vaccine (Covaxin) which has been given emergency use authorisation under clinical trial mode is accompanied by three documents. One is the factsheet which is read out and explained to beneficiaries, second is a consent form... and the third is an adverse event reporting form where the recipient has to report the adverse event for the first seven days".
He further ascertained that if there is a causal relationship between immunisation and the adverse event whether it is severe or serious the hospitalisation costs would be borne by the authorities.
Are you planning to take the Covid-19 jab? here's how the centre is keeping a check on you after you are given the vaccine shot.
After being given the Covid-19 vaccine shot, the person will have to sit for half an hour (this is when he will be closely observed). If there is nothing the person can go back home. Later, if the person develops a symptom the person will immediately visit the hospital and report the issue.
However, in the case of Covaxin shot, the person is being followed up daily by the doctors. "The doctor rings you up on a daily basis and you are given a form which you fill for seven days," Bhushan said.
Speaking on how the vaccines are distributed to states and Union Territories, Bhushan said it is done based on the proportion in which the Centre got the supplies.
"Which vaccine will go to which vaccination session is a decision which has been left entirely to the states. So states have taken a decision," the Union health secretary said.
(With inputs from the Agencies)
