When Indians will Get Covid-19 Vaccine? Is The Covid Vaccine Safe? Frequently Asked Questions

Before discussing the matter, I want to share how many vaccine candidates are being developed around the world. Some of them have already applied for authorisation where some are in different stages of trials to test safety and efficacy.

The first one is  "The Covishield vaccine" which is being made by Serum Institute of India partnered with British pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca.

The second one is "Covaxin", being developed by Bharat Biotech in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) have already applied for authorisation.

The third one is "ZyCov-Di", being developed by Ahmedabad-based Zydus-Cadila.

The fourth one is a Vaccine which is being developed by Hyderabad-based Biological E, the first Indian private vaccine making company, in collaboration with MIT.

The fifth one is "HGCO19", India's first mRNA vaccine made by Pune-based Genova in collaboration with Seattle-based HDT Biotech Corporation, using bits of genetic code to cause an immune response.

The sixth one is "The Sputnik V" vaccine candidate developed by Dr Reddy's Lab and Gamaleya National Centre in Russia.

The seventh one is a nasal vaccine by Bharat BioTech.

The eight one is a second vaccine being developed by Serum Institute of India and American vaccine development company Novavax.

As per the sources, India had already booked millions of doses from a number of vaccine makers around the world. A few vaccine candidates were likely to get emergency-use authorisation from the drug regulator in the next few weeks. The vaccination programme aims to reach around 300 million people by early August, 2021.

Indian government is in touch with a number of local and international vaccine makers and informing them about our requirements and finding out about their production capacities. 

As per the sources, world's largest vaccine maker, Serum Institute of India, and Bharat Biotech alone have the capability of making 65 million doses a month. India also has a "good stockpile" of vaccines which can be quickly converted into vials, if vaccines get regulatory approval. 

Frequently Asked Questions

How will the vaccination programme be rolled out?

Around 300 million Indians will be vaccinated between January and early August. For this vaccination process, we need to begin with an estimated 10 million health workers, followed by policemen, soldiers, municipal and other front line workers.

The next groups eligible for vaccinations would include people above and below 50 years of age with underlying conditions and co-morbidities. 

India have already achieved the fame of world's biggest immunisation programme, inoculating more than 40 million newborns and pregnant women against 12 diseases every year. It also has a well-oiled electronic system to stock and track these vaccines.

 

How does India plan to vaccinate 1 billion people?

154,000 of the country's 223,000 nurses and midwives engaged in this programme will be deployed to give Covid vaccines to people. It will be also inviting final year nursing students to volunteer.

Some 29,000 existing cold storage facilities would be used to stock the vaccines - nearly all vaccines need to be transported and distributed between 2C and 8C in what comprises the so-called cold chain.

 

And the most important thing is the cold storage facility for storing the vaccines in the country like India where preservation of vaccines is so difficult. In India, extreme cold storage chain facilities - up to -80C - are already available in a number of agricultural and animal husbandry research centres in Haryana, Karnataka and West Bengal, among other places.

 

Is the Covid vaccine safe?

The safety trial has begun for all the vaccine candidates in the lab with tests and research on cells and animals and move to the next stage of testing depends on if there are no outstanding safety concerns. 

Indian health minister Harsh Vardhan said, that "there has been a little over one crore cases of the killer virus in the country. "Of that, 95 lakh 50 thousand cases have recovered successfully. India has one of the highest recovery rates in the world at 95.46%". 

He also said, there are lots of confusion among people for the safety of the vaccines. He added, before injecting vaccine, we need to be concerned  about the safety of the people. Each center will have medical facility such that if anyone feels uncomfortable or uneasiness after being vaccinated, he/she will be taken to the immediate care facility. It is advised for the people that everyone has to wait in the vaccine center for 30 minutes after being vaccinated. 

 

Who can approve vaccines or treatments?

Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), UK gives approval for vaccine if that a vaccine is both safe, effective and makes sure there are no further side effects or long-term risks. Independent experts on the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) decide how best to use a vaccine and who should get it.

 

Will a vaccine make anyone ill?

Vaccines do not give anyone a disease. Instead, they teach your body's immune system to recognise and fight the infection they have been designed to protect against. Some people may suffer mild fever or muscle pain on the side of injecting. This is not the disease itself, but the body's response to the vaccine.

 

What about allergies?

The MHRA says it hasn't identified any "serious adverse reactions" during the trial of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine. Two people out of many thousands who got the jab on the first day of UK rollout had allergic reactions. But Both are recovering well. 

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