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While the Covid-19 pandemic is still active across the globe, we now have one major weapon against this virulent disease – the Covid-19 vaccine.
Lots of vaccines have been developed around the world. However, in India, three vaccines are currently available, Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin, Oxford-AstraZeneca's Covishield, and the Russian Sputnik V.
In India, a nation-wide vaccination drive started on 16 January 2021, and over a number of phases, different groups of people have become eligible to get the vaccine.
To get the vaccine, one needs to register on the CoWIN Portal, or the Aarogya Setu app.
Currently, almost everyone above the age of 18 is eligible to get the vaccine in India.
PHASE 1
The first phase of vaccination began on 16 January 2021 and involved frontline workers, like healthcare professionals and other essential workers such as police, paramilitary forces, and sanitation workers.
PHASE 2
The second phase from 1 March 2021 made the vaccine eligible to all individuals above 60 years, as well as those above the age of 45 with comorbidities (such as diabetes, heart conditions, HIV, or some types of cancers).
PHASE 3
During the third phase, from 1 April 2021, everyone above the age of 45 became eligible for the shot.
PHASE 4
From 1 May 2021, the government opened vaccinations to everyone above 18 years of age.
PHASE 5
All individuals above the age of 15 or whose birth year is 2007 are eligible for self-registration and vaccination.
However, there are still some people who are not eligible to take the vaccine. These include:
Not everyone needs to consult with their doctor and ask them whether it is safe to take the vaccine jab or not before getting their Covid vaccines, but some people do. These include:
Currently, there are three vaccines approved for use in India. At the start of the vaccine programme in late 2020, two vaccines were approved for emergency use in India – Covishield, and Covaxin. In April 2021, a third vaccine was approved for use, Sputnik V.
While it is not required to take a Covid test before getting vaccinated, some healthcare experts believe that “it is a logical step to conduct antibody tests” before vaccination, as it is possible to test positive for Covid-19 even if you’re not showing any symptoms (these are called asymptomatic cases).
In such cases, the vaccine protocol might differ a little, as they will need to wait for 6-12 weeks after testing negative to get their vaccine.
Even though the vaccines are safe for use, mild side effects are not uncommon. They are generally not any cause for concern, as they just indicate that a person's body is building up immunity to protect against Covid-19 and should go away within a few days.
You can expect side effects, such as:
If you notice any additional symptoms, or these symptoms persist beyond a few days, visit a doctor immediately for a check-up.
Remember to take the second dose of the same vaccine as the first one. It is recommended that you take the second dose of Covaxin 4 to 6 weeks after the first dose.
For Covishield vaccines, the suggested interval is 4 to 8 weeks. However, experts now recommend widening the gap to 8 to 12 weeks, with a few even suggesting 16 weeks.
When you have recovered from Covid-19, the natural immunity you build will wane after a while. This is why it is still important to get the Covid-19 vaccine to fight the disease if you get re-infected.
Even after being vaccinated, you must still follow the correct Covid-19 protocols, such as social distancing and wearing masks. You might still become a carrier for the virus (even if you don’t see any symptoms) and pass it on to other people who have not been vaccinated.
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Disclaimer #2: This information is added only for informative purposes and collected from different sources across the Internet. Digit Insurance is not promoting or recommending anything here. Please verify the information before making any decisions.
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