India started its vaccination drive against COVID-19 in mid-January 2021. In just a matter of a few months, the country has entered Phase 3 of the coronavirus vaccine drive, making India the first country to launch the world’s largest vaccination drive.
Amidst the rising cases of COVID-19 during the ongoing second wave in India, getting the vaccination shot is the safest and quickest way to fight this pandemic.
Vaccination against the COVID-19 infection will help produce antibodies that will improve and strengthen your immunity. Recent studies have shown that individuals infected after receiving the vaccine have less severe symptoms and complications, thus, reducing the need for hospitalization and preventing deaths.
Currently, three vaccines are approved for emergency use in India - Covaxin, Covishield, and Sputnik V. Covaxin and Covishield are being administered across the country and Sputivik V will soon be rolled out (01 May 2021).
Here’s everything you need to know about these vaccines - from how they work to what are the possible side-effects of taking them.
What Do We Know About The Approved COVID-19 Vaccines in India?
All the above three vaccines are approved under ‘Emergency Use Authorization’ by DCGI (Drugs Controller General of India) for use in India.
An ‘Emergency Use Authorization’ is a mechanism to make vaccines available for use, during public health emergencies, such as the current COVID-19 pandemic.
How Do They Work?
Covaxin is an inactivated vaccine. An inactivated vaccine (or killed vaccine) consists of virus particles, bacteria, or other pathogens that have been cultured in the laboratory and then killed to destroy their disease-producing capacity.
Covishield is a viral vector vaccine that employs a single adenovirus vector (common, nonenveloped viruses that cause cold, sore throat, cough, and eye infections). Viral vector vaccines use a modified version of a different virus (known as the vector) to deliver important instructions to your immune cells and produce antibodies accordingly.
Sputnik V is again a viral vector vaccine. It is a combination of two different adenoviruses (Ad26 and Ad5). The adenoviruses are combined with the coronavirus spike protein. This initiates an immune response to be developed in your body to protect against COVID-19 infection.
What Are The Dosage And Efficacies of The COVID-19 Vaccines in India?
Besides being administered in India, both Covaxin and Covishield have been exported to more than 70 countries across the world, including South-East Asian countries, United Arab Emirates, Afghanistan, Maldives, Kuwait, Ghana, Nigeria, Zambia, Syria, Cameroon, Uzbekistan, and Ethiopia.
Sputnik V is currently being administered in Russia, Argentina, Bahrain, Egypt, Hungary, Iran, Jordan, Mauritius, Mexico, Morocco, Pakistan, Panama, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, United Arab Emirates, and Vietnam, among other countries.
Experts currently recommend that you take both the doses of the same brand of COVID-19 vaccine and do not take different doses of different vaccines. Several studies and research is being conducted to study the effect of receiving different doses of multiple vaccines.
Coronavirus Vaccine For All Above 18 Years?
Bharat Biotech’s ‘Covaxin’ and Oxford-AstraZeneca’s ‘Covishield’ are approved for administration for anyone above the age of 18 years, starting from May 1, 2021.
Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine can also be given to anyone above 18 years of age, starting on the 1st of May 2021.
What Are The Side Effects of COVID-19 Vaccines?
All the above vaccines are approved for intramuscular (IM) injection. This means the shot has to be given in the deltoid (thick, triangular muscle forming the rounded contour of the human shoulder) of the upper arm only.
After getting vaccinated, you can expect to experience certain common side effects, ranging from mild to moderate or severe, in some cases.
Reported Covaxin and Covishiels Side-effects
Expected Sputnik V Side-effects
Sputnik V vaccine is expected to produce mild side effects such as a sore arm, pain around the injection site, and low-grade fever. Other possible side-effects of this vaccine will come to light only after its administration is started in the country.
If you show severe symptoms after receiving any of the above-approved vaccines, call your healthcare provider immediately.
Which Vaccine is Superior?
Currently, the focus is to limit the spread of COVID-19 infection. There is no comparative study data available between the three vaccines to determine the superiority of one over the other in terms of safety and efficacy.
Vaccines are powerful innovations and currently, are the only ray of hope against COVID-19. Get yourself vaccinated and encourage others too!
Stay Safe, Stay Home, and Get Vaccinated!
References:
1. Who.int. 2021. The Oxford/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine: what you need to know. [online] Available at: <https://www.who.int/news-room/feature-stories/detail/the-oxford-astrazeneca-covid-19-vaccine-what-you-need-to-know>
2. 2021. https://www.bharatbiotech.com/images/covaxin/covaxin-fact-sheet.pdf.
3. Unicef.org. 2021. What to do before, during and after getting vaccinated for COVID-19. [online] Available at: <https://www.unicef.org/rosa/stories/what-do-during-and-after-getting-vaccinated-covid-19>
4. Mohfw.gov.in. 2021. [online] Available at: <https://www.mohfw.gov.in/pdf/COVID19VaccineOG111Chapter16.pdf>
Disclaimer: This article is written by Practo for informational and educational purposes only. The content presented on this page should not be considered as a substitute for medical expertise. Please "DO NOT SELF-MEDICATE" and seek professional help regarding any health conditions or concerns. Practo will not be responsible for any act or omission arising from the interpretation of the content present on this page.