New Delhi: The indigenous Covaxin cannot be administered on those who are immune-compromised or are on a medication, a factsheet released by manufacturer Bharat Biotech said.
According to the factsheet, released Monday, those who should be exempted from the list of beneficiaries include individuals with a history of allergies, who have a fever, bleeding disorder or are on a blood thinner, are immune-compromised, pregnant, breastfeeding or have any other serious health related issues.
The Centre had earlier said that those with an immune deficiency can also take vaccines although the efficacy among such individuals might be less.
The Serum Institute of India (SII) also released a factsheet Tuesday that said its Covishield vaccine cannot be used for those who have suffered from severe allergic reaction “after a previous dose of this vaccine” or have “had a severe allergic reaction to any ingredient of the vaccine”.
Also read: 52 adverse events after Covid vaccine reported in Delhi on first day of immunisation drive
Risks of the vaccine
Covaxin was mired in controversy after it got the green signal from the government on “clinical trial mode” earlier this month even though the third phase of the trials is still ongoing. Health Minister Harsh Vardhan had explained that this would mean that all the vaccine recipients will be tracked as if they’re in a trial.
While highlighting that the vaccine was found to generate immunity following two doses given four weeks apart, the guidelines also stressed: “However, the clinical efficacy of COVAXIN is yet to be established and it is still being studied in phase 3 clinical trial. Hence, it is important to appreciate that receiving the vaccine does not mean that other precautions related to Covid-19 need not be followed.”
“All the vaccine recipients will be followed-up for a period of three months after the 2nd dose of vaccination,” the guidelines stated.
It further said that if the recipient suffers from serious adverse events, they “will be provided medically recognized standard of care” and compensation will be paid by Bharat Biotech “if the SAE is proven to be causally related to the vaccine”.
The side effects of the two vaccines as outlined in the factsheets are more or less the same.
The roll out of the vaccine also witnessed doctors in Delhi and West Bengal expressing concerns over being inoculated with the Covaxin.
Also read: Hesitancy persists over Covaxin but doctors still take shots as ‘vaccination the only way out’