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Possible side effects of COVID-19 vaccines you need to know

Possible side effects of COVID-19 vaccines you need to know
COVID-19 vaccines could lead to enervating flu-like side effects, caution experts.

Like many other popular medicines, any COVID-19 vaccine could lead to side-effects in some people, warns PM Modi. Read on to know the possible side-effects you may experince after getting a shot against coronavirus.

Written by Longjam Dineshwori |Updated : November 28, 2020 11:04 AM IST

Preparations are underway in India for conducting the COVID-19 vaccinations that would begin with certain priority groups, according to the Union Health Ministry. The Centre has also directed states and union territories to take necessary actions to deal with adverse side effects following immunisation.

In its letter to all the states and UTs, the Ministry has listed initiatives which it said are essential to further strengthen the existing Adverse Events Following Immunisation (AEFI) surveillance system of India so that timely and complete AEFI reporting for COVID-19 vaccination is possible.

The Ministry urged the states to implement these initiatives at the earliest so that required changes take place well before the COVID-19 vaccine is introduced in the state and district. It has also asked all states and UTs to include medical specialists in addition to paediatricians in state and district AEFI committees.

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Mentioning that events due to pre-existing comorbidities (stroke, heart attacks etc) may be reported as adverse effects following COVID-19 vaccinations, the ministry said that the AEFI committees should include medical specialists who can recognise such events and differentiate them from events related to vaccines/vaccinations. Therefore, it has directed all the states and UTs to include neurologists, cardiologists, respiratory medicine specialists as well as paediatricians in the state and district AEFI committees.

PM Modi warns of possible side-effects

As India prepares strategy for distribution and administration of COVID-19 vaccination, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has warned of possible side-effects from the vaccine.

Like many other popular medicines, any COVID-19 vaccine could lead to side-effects in some people, said PM Modi in a video conference with the chief ministers on Tuesday.

Both speed and safety are equally important in launching a vaccine, he said noting that the government would only go by science in finalising a vaccine for the country. In the meantime, he urged states to keep distribution infrastructure such as cold storages ready.

India could approve emergency use of Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine by December 2020, according to Serum Institute CEO Adar Poonawalla.

Once cleared, the vaccine will be given to frontline healthcare workers, elderly people and other priority beneficiaries identified by the Centre, he told CNBC TV18.

Bharat Biotech's COVAXIN, Russia's Sputnik V and Zydus Cadila's ZyCoV-D are among other experimental vaccines on trial in India.

Unpleasant side effects COVID-19 vaccines may cause

While the world hopes that a vaccine will bring an end to this pandemic, experts say COVID-19 vaccines may carry some unpleasant side effects.

When available, most COVID-19 vaccines including the ones from Pfizer-BioNTech's and Moderna's will require two doses to work, given about a month apart. The injections could lead to enervating flu-like side effects such as sore arms, muscle aches and fever, according to some scientists.

These side effects could last for days, compelling some people to be temporarily away work or school, they said. 1 in 10 recipients would be vulnerable to these side effects, even if a vaccine proves 90 percent effective in trails.

So far, three vaccine candidates, including Russia's Sputnik-V and Pfizer-BioNTech's and Moderna's vaccines, have been found to be more than 90% effective in preventing COVID-19 infection based on early results from their late-stage clinical trials. The drug makers also acknowledged that their vaccines could induce certain side effects similar to symptoms associated with mild Covid-19, such as muscle pain, chills and headache.

In fact, American doctors have urged the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to be transparent about the side effects people may experience after getting their first shot of a coronavirus vaccine so that they don't get scared to come back of the second dose.