Covishield Vaccine

Covishield Vaccine has been given an emergency use authorization (conditional approval) for active immunization of individuals aged 18 years and older for the prevention of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). COVID-19 is a highly infectious disease that is caused by the coronavirus (SARS-CoV2). Covishield Vaccine has been developed by AstraZeneca with Oxford university in the UK and is being manufactured by the Serum Institute of India (SII) in Pune. Successful clinical trials have been conducted in S.Africa, Brazil, and the UK with bridging study results in the Indian population based on which the approval was granted by DCGI (Drugs Controller General of India) Covishield Vaccine is given as an injection into the muscle of the upper arm. The vaccination course consists of two separate doses. The government of India has extended the gap between the first and the second dose to 12-16 weeks. Taking just a single dose is not enough as it is insufficient to produce a protective level of antibodies in the body to prevent the infection. So make sure you turn up for the second dose. Initially, the recommended doses were given 4 to 6 weeks apart. However, clinical trials showed that Covishield Vaccine has an average efficacy of 54% when the 2 doses are administered 4 to 6 weeks apart. Furthermore, the efficacy has been reported to increase to around 79% if the gap between 2 doses is increased. Therefore, according to the new directives, the gap between the 2 doses has been raised to 12-16 weeks. The possible side effects of Covishield Vaccine include reactions at the site of injection (such as pain, swelling, and redness), headache, nausea, vomiting, muscle pain, joint pain, fatigue, malaise (general discomfort), fever, chills, and flu-like symptoms. Most of these side effects are mild and temporary (subside within 2-3 days) that subside on their own. If required, you may take paracetamol to provide symptomatic relief. However, if these persist (symptoms continue beyond 2-3 days) or get worse, let the doctor know. To make sure the vaccine is safe, before receiving the vaccine, it is important to let your doctor or vaccinator know if you have any other illnesses, history of any allergy, fever, or bleeding disorders. You should also tell the doctor about all the medicines you are taking, especially blood thinners or any medicines affecting your immune system. Children, pregnant women, and breastfeeding mothers have not been a part of the vaccine trials. Therefore, they should not get the vaccine at this time as the safety of the medicine for them is still not known. Also, individuals who have received another COVID-19 vaccine should not receive Covishield Vaccine.