COVID-19 VACCINES IN INDIA

THIS IS MY FIRST BLOG,HOPE I CAN GIVE YOU SOME VALUABLE INFORMATION REGARDING THE COVID-19 VACCINES,PLEASE STAY WITH ME.I NEED YOUR BLESSINGS AND SUPPORT.

We are facing a very worst pandemic situation for Covid-19 since 1 year and 6 months.

From the 1st line,we got 2 questions.So let's answer those.😊😊

1.Q)What is Pandemic : A) A pandemic is a disease outbreak that spreads across countries or continents around the different or every parts of World. It affects more people and takes more lives than an epidemic.

2)Q)What is Covid-19: A) 'CO' stands for corona, 'VI' for virus, and 'D' for disease.Coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) is a contagious viral infection or disease caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) RNA virus strain.Formerly, this disease was referred to as '2019 novel coronavirus' or '2019-nCoV.' 

The first known case was identified at Wuhan,China in December 2019.Right now on 2021,it's still creating a leading ongoing pandemic.

Now,we have a doubt,why we need vaccination for this particular viral disease?We know of several viral diseases ,but once we had completed our immunisation schedule in childhood,we never go for any vaccination further,except some cases.So let's answer this.

3.Q)Why we need Covid-19 vaccination : A) As on today (18/08/2021).

	Country, Other	Total Cases	New Cases	Total Deaths	New Deaths	Total Recovered	New Recovered	Active Cases	Serious, Critical	Tot Cases/ 1M pop	Deaths/ 1M pop
	World	209,750,239	+404,162	4,400,866	+7,354	187,991,845	+362,950	17,357,528	107,755	26,909	564.6

😔😔😔This is the total estimation which is merely verey severe in nature,as the total case rate of Covid-19 , also severe illness due to Covid-19 and death rate for Covid-19 is very high ,it needs more attention and solution as well. 

We have no particular medicines in hand to cure Covid-19 disease,so we need to stop the spread and we need to be protected from the virus,because we know,this have a high contamination rate.Virus mutate easily ,specially RNA virus,so vaccine inheritance was never so easy.But after some long and hard research procudure around the World ,we got some vaccines for Covid-19 from different Global research association,  partners,scientists,organisations.The Covid-19 vaccines produce protection against the disease, as a result of developing an immune response to the SARS-Cov-2 virus.By pathological terms you can say,(SARS-Cov2) is a RNA virus,which act as an antigen (a toxin or other foreign substance which induces an immune response) in our body and produces antibodies(a blood protein produced in response to and counteracting a specific antigen) ,So it is definite that whenever a person is affecting by Covid-19,he/she will be producing an antibody against Covid-19 disease virus in their body and after some days,that person will be cured from Covid-19 with that antibody,

Then why is these devastation happening globally?

This antibody production is depnding upon the immunity power of the human being.

i)First of all its an unknown pathogen ,so body immune system could not identified this and couldn't able to produce right antibody to fight with the Covid-19 disease virus .

ii)Secondly low immunity power leads to a long timetaking antibody production ,till then the disease progressed and affected the major organs of our body and person couldn't able to recover from that position.

iii)Thirdly ,by not producing enough antibodies in body after 1st time affection,in future the person again get affected by the same virus and that also could leads to severity.

iv)At last,no herd immunity developed till a date among the population.

i)So, developing immunity through vaccination means,Vaccines train a person’s immune system to recognise the particular pathogen/antigen and produce enough antibody to fight against the specific virus.  there is a reduced risk of developing the minor or severe illness and its consequences.

ii)Vaccine is a kind of antigen which act a s a foreign pathogen in human body by a controlled way so that trigger the immune system properly on a person and antibody produced very quickly and remain quite long.

iii)Vaccines contain either killed or weakened versions of the virus that causes the disease or a small part of it, such as a protein or nucleic acid. When you get a vaccine, your immune system recognises these as foreign. It responds by creating memory cells and antibodies that protect you against future infection. 

iv)Last ,but not in the list, mass vaccination will produced Herd immunity(When most of a population is immune to an infectious disease, this provides indirect protection or population immunity) also called herd immunity by which the pathogen could bot able to find an appropriate host to live in and it will be eradicated with time.

This immunity helps you fight the virus if exposed. Getting vaccinated may also protect people around you, because if you are protected from getting infected and from disease, you are less likely to infect someone else. This is particularly important to protect people at increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19, such as healthcare providers, older or elderly adults, and people with other medical conditions.

I think,you are satistfied with easy answers.😊

Now ,

4.Q)In india how many vaccines are introduced and what are their types?

A)To answer this first of all we have to know what are actual types of vaccines ?

There are three categories of vaccines : There are three main approaches to designing a vaccine. Their differences lie in whether they use a whole virus or bacterium; just the parts of the germ that triggers the immune system; or just the genetic material that provides the instructions for making specific proteins and not the whole virus.

A.The whole-microbe/virus approach

a)Inactivated vaccine

The first way to make a vaccine is to take the disease-carrying virus or bacterium, or one very similar to it, and inactivate or kill it using chemicals, heat or radiation. This approach uses technology that’s been proven to work in people – this is the way the flu and polio vaccines are made – and vaccines can be manufactured on a reasonable scale. 

However, it requires special laboratory facilities to grow the virus or bacterium safely, can have a relatively long production time, and will likely require two or three doses to be administered.

b)Live-attenuated vaccine

A live-attenuated vaccine uses a living but weakened version of the virus or one that’s very similar. The measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine and the chickenpox and shingles vaccine are examples of this type of vaccine. This approach uses similar technology to the inactivated vaccine and can be manufactured at scale. However, vaccines like this may not be suitable for people with compromised immune systems.

c)Viral vector vaccine

This type of vaccine uses a safe virus to deliver specific sub-parts – called proteins – of the germ of interest so that it can trigger an immune response without causing disease. To do this, the instructions for making particular parts of the pathogen of interest are inserted into a safe virus. The safe virus then serves as a platform or vector to deliver the protein into the body.  The protein triggers the immune response. The Ebola vaccine is a viral vector vaccine and this type can be developed rapidly.

B.The subunit approach

A subunit vaccine is one that only uses the very specific parts (the subunits) of a virus or bacterium that the immune system needs to recognize. It doesn't contain the whole microbe or use a safe virus as a vector. The subunits may be proteins or sugars. Most of the vaccines on the childhood schedule are subunit vaccines, protecting people from diseases such as whooping cough, tetanus, diphtheria and meningococcal meningitis.

C.The genetic approach (nucleic acid vaccine)

Unlike vaccine approaches that use either a weakened or dead whole microbe or parts of one, a nucleic acid vaccine just uses a section of genetic material that provides the instructions for specific proteins, not the whole microbe. DNA and RNA are the instructions our cells use to make proteins. In our cells, DNA is first turned into messenger RNA, which is then used as the blueprint to make specific proteins.A nucleic acid vaccine delivers a specific set of instructions to our cells, either as DNA or mRNA, for them to make the specific protein that we want our immune system to recognize and respond to.  

Now let's get back to the Indian Vaccination section for Covid-19.

COVAXIN : Covaxin is an inactivated whole virus vaccine, containing SARS-CoV-2 particles that have been chemically deactivated. That means they can no longer infect cells, but still stimulate a protective immune response. Because the viral particles cannot cause disease, the vaccine is suitable for people with compromised immune systems.

Some questions related to COVAXIN

1.Composition

Covaxin also contains two adjuvants – chemicals designed to strengthen the immune response to the vaccine – aluminium hydroxide, and a toll-like receptor (TLR) 7/8 agonist.

2.Doses and preservation

The vaccine comes as a two-dose regimen, recommended to be taken 28 days apart.It is a vaccine with no sub-zero storage, no reconstitution requirement, and ready to use liquid presentation in multi-dose vials, stable at 2-8oC.

3.Pre-clinical studies

 Demonstrated strong immunogenicity and protective efficacy in animal challenge studies conducted in hamsters & non-human primates.This vaccine manufactured from Bharat Biotech ,Hyderabad,India.

You will get all the answers relted to COVAXIN.by clicking the link below.

https://www.bharatbiotech.com/images/covaxin/covaxin-factsheet2.pdf

COVISHIELD : Covisheild is the Indian format of  AstraZeneca vaccine which is using in UK.It is the whole virus viral vector vaccine.It is a recombinant, replication-deficient chimpanzee adenovirus vector encoding the SARS-CoV-2 Spike (S) glycoprotein. Following administration, the genetic material of part of corona virus is expressed which stimulates an immune response.

Viral vector vaccines are like messengers. They use a weakened version of a different virus (the vector) to deliver instructions to cells in your body.

Adenovirus is the virus that causes the common cold.

When you get a viral vector vaccine, the vector (adenovirus) enters a cell in your body. It then teaches the cell how to produce the COVID-19 spike protein.

After you get your vaccine, your immune system recognises that the protein doesn't belong there. Your body then begins building an immune response to fight off what it thinks is an infection. This immune response makes antibodies.

The antibodies offer you protection from COVID-19. It is much safer for your immune system to learn how to protect you from COVID-19 through vaccination than by catching the virus.

Some questions related to Covishield

1.COVISHIELDTM regimen consists of how many doses?

It consists of two doses of 0.5 ml each.

2. Is there any difference between 1st and 2nd dose?

No. There is no difference between the 1st and 2nd dose. Each dose has the same content of viral particles.

3. Do I require any test (e.g. CRP, BTCT, RTPCR etc.) before getting the vaccine?

No. There are no such recommendations.

4. I have taken the 1st dose of COVISHIELDTM? What is the current Government recommendation for the 2nd dose.

The Indian government has recommended that the time interval between the 1st and 2nd dose should be between 12-16 weeks. 

5. Do I need to take the 1st dose again if more than 12 weeks have passed after my 1st dose?

You do not need to repeat the 1st dose even if more than 12 weeks have passed after the 1st dose.

6. Do I need to take both the doses of COVISHIELDTM?

Both doses of COVISHIELDTM need to be taken for optimum protection.

7. What are the contraindications for receiving COVISHIELDTM vaccine?

COVISHIELDTM is contraindicated in

1. People with hypersensitivity to the active substance or to any of the excipients listed below:
   • L-Histidine
   • L-Histidine hydrochloride monohydrate
   • Magnesium chloride hexahydrate
   • Polysorbate 80
   • Ethanol
   • Sucrose
   • Sodium chloride
   • Disodium edetate dihydrate (EDTA)
2. Patients who have experienced major blood clotting (venous and/or arterial thrombosis) in combination with low platelet count (thrombocytopenia) following any COVID-19 vaccine.

8. Are there any contraindications for receiving the 2nd dose in people who have received the 1st dose?

The contraindications to second dose of vaccine are:

1. Severe allergic reaction after a previous dose of this vaccine. If your treating physician considered this event as a severe allergic reaction to the vaccine, then you should not take second dose of vaccine. If you experience any other adverse event (known or unknown) after first dose, you can take the second dose.
2. Patients who have experienced major blood clotting (venous and/or arterial thrombosis) in combination with low platelet count (thrombocytopenia) following first dose of vaccine.

9. Can people with co-morbidities like Hypertension, Diabetes Mellitus, Asthma, Cardiovascular Disease receive the vaccine?

COVISHIELDTM has been administered in people with or without comorbid conditions in clinical trials and the safety profile was comparable in those with or without comorbid condition (e.g.: Hypertension, Cardiovascular Disease, Asthma, Diabetes, etc.). People with clinically stable comorbid conditions can receive the vaccine. Kindly follow up with your treating physician for a risk benefit assessment based on clinical judgement before taking the vaccine.

10. Can patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis, Psoriasis, SLE, ankylosing spondylitis, sickle cell disease, any cancer or any other disease take the vaccine?

History of any disease is not a contraindication for receiving the vaccine. Kindly follow up with your healthcare provider for a risk benefit assessment based on clinical judgement before taking the vaccine.

11. Can patients with G6PD deficiency take the vaccine?

History of G6PD deficiency is not a contraindication for receiving the vaccine. Kindly follow up with your healthcare provider for a risk benefit assessment based on clinical judgement before taking the vaccine.

12. Are people on anti-platelet, anti-coagulant therapy eligible to receive the vaccine?

History of receipt or currently ongoing anti-platelet/anti-coagulant therapy is not a contraindication for receiving the vaccine. Kindly follow up with your healthcare provider for a risk benefit assessment based on clinical judgement before taking the vaccine. As with other intramuscular injections, COVISHIELDTM should be given with caution to individuals with thrombocytopenia, any coagulation disorder or to persons on anticoagulation therapy, because bleeding or bruising may occur following an intramuscular administration in these individuals.

13. Can patients with any food or drug allergy (e.g. penicillin, sulfa, NSAIDs, or any other drug) take the vaccine?

History of food or drug allergy is not a contraindication for receiving the vaccine. COVISHIELDTM is contraindicated in case of hypersensitivity to the active substance or to any of the excipients mentioned above (Refer to Question 9.) Kindly follow up with your healthcare provider for a risk benefit assessment based on clinical judgement before taking the vaccine.

14. Can patients receiving immunosuppressant therapy take the vaccine?

History of receiving immunosuppressants is not a contraindication for receiving the vaccine. We anticipate that individuals including those receiving immunosuppressant therapy may have relatively weaker immune response to the vaccine regimen compared to immunocompetent individuals. Kindly follow up with your healthcare provider for a risk benefit assessment based on clinical judgement before taking the vaccine.

15. When should I expect adverse reactions to start? Till how many days after vaccination the adverse events should be monitored?

Most of the side effects with COVISHIELDTM occur on the day of vaccination (6 to 8 hours later) and resolve within 2 to 3 days. These are uncommon by Day 5 to 7 after vaccination, indicating that these effects are self-limiting and of short duration. Adverse reactions are relatively less after the second dose as compared to the first dose.

16. What adverse reactions can I get after vaccination?

Following side effects or adverse reactions have been reported with COVISHIELDTM vaccine.

1. Very common (may affect more than 1 in 10 people) - tenderness, pain, warmth, or itching where the injection is given, generally feeling unwell, feeling tired (fatigue), chills or feeling feverish, headache, feeling sick (nausea), joint pain or muscle ache
2. Common (may affect more than 1 in 10 people) - swelling or redness where the injection is given, fever, being sick (vomiting) or diarrhoea, pain in legs or arms, flu-like symptoms, such as high temperature sore throat, runny nose, cough and chills
3. Uncommon (may affect up to 1 in 100 people) – sleepiness or feeling dizzy, abdominal pain, enlarged lymph nodes, excessive sweating, itchy skin, rash or hives
4. Not known (the frequency cannot be determined from the available data) -severe allergic reaction (anaphylaxis), severe swelling of the lips, mouth, throat (which may cause difficulty in swallowing or breathing)
5. Rarest: Major blood clotting (venous and/or arterial thrombosis) in combination with low platelet count (thrombocytopenia) have been observed very rarely (with a frequency less than 1 in 100,000 vaccinated individuals)

17. Where can I get treatment if I get adverse event?

You should consult your health care provider / physician for the management of your adverse event. The manufacturer cannot prescribe or provide or recommend any treatment.

18. Are there any specific medicines to treat adverse events after the vaccine?

No. There are no such medicines. The physicians shall apply their clinical judgement for the treatment of the adverse events. In clinical trials on different vaccines and medicines also, all the adverse events are treated by the investigating doctors based on their clinical judgement.
If required, medicines used to treat fever like paracetamol may be used to provide relief from the common side effects of vaccine like fever, body pain, headache, muscle or joint pain etc. In case you need medical advice, kindly consult your healthcare provider / doctor.

19. Is there any need to report Adverse Events?

Yes, as a part of pharmacovigilance, it is useful to report adverse events to the Govt authorities/manufacturer so that they can collate all the data and monitor the safety of the vaccine. You may also report the adverse event to SII through toll free no (1800 1200 124) or via email pharmacovigilance@seruminstitute.com.

20. When can I take second dose of vaccine if I get COVID-19 disease after first dose of vaccine?

As per the guidelines of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MOHWF), you can take the 2nd dose of the COVID-19 vaccine 3 months after recovery from COVID-19 symptoms. 

21. When can I take 1st dose of vaccine after developing COVID-19?

As per the guidelines of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MOHWF), COVID-19 vaccine can be deferred by 3 months after recovery in individuals having lab test proven SARS-2 COVID-19 illness. 

22. Whether a person after receiving vaccine can consume alcohol/ smoke?

There is no recommendation regarding avoidance of alcohol/ smoking following vaccination.

23. Are any animal products used in COVISHIELDTM?

No animal products are used in COVISHIELDTM

24. Can pregnant women receive COVISHIELDTM?

There is a limited experience with the use of the vaccine in pregnant women. Preliminary animal studies do not indicate direct or indirect harmful effects with respect to pregnancy, embryofetal development, parturition or postnatal development; definitive animal studies have not been completed yet. The full relevance of animal studies to human risk with vaccines for COVID-19 remains to be established. Administration of COVISHIELDTM in pregnancy should only be considered when the potential benefits outweigh any potential risks for the mother and foetus.
Recently, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Govt. of India said that, 'a pregnant woman who opts for vaccination, could be vaccinated at any time of the pregnancy. To help pregnant women make an informed decision to be vaccinated, they should be provided with information about the risks of COVID-19 infection in pregnancy, the benefits of vaccination, along with the likely side effects of vaccination'.
For further details, please refer to
www.mohfw.gov.in/pdf/OperationalGuidanceforCOVID19vaccinationofPregnantWoman.pdf

25. What is the effect of COVISHIELDTM on fertility?

Preliminary animal studies do not indicate direct or indirect harmful effects with respect to fertility.

26. Can women on their periods (menstruating) receive COVISHIELDTM?

There is no correlation between menstruation and the effect of the vaccine.
Moreover, this is a physiological phenomenon and it has nothing to do with immunity. Women on their periods can take the vaccine.
In fact, there is no prohibition to take any vaccine during menstruation.

27. Can breastfeeding women receive COVISHIELDTM?

It is unknown whether COVISHIELDTM is excreted in human milk. However, the current guidelines of the Indian Government state that COVID-19 vaccination is recommended for all lactating women. 
WHO guidelines state that vaccine efficacy is expected to be similar in lactating women as in other adults. Since COVISHIELDTM (ChAdOx1-S [recombinant]) vaccine is not a live virus vaccine, it is biologically and clinically unlikely to pose a risk to the breastfeeding child. On the basis of these considerations, a lactating woman who is part of a group recommended for vaccination according to the WHO Prioritization Roadmap, e.g. health workers, should be offered vaccination on an equivalent basis. WHO does not recommend discontinuing breastfeeding after vaccination. 
It is advisable that breastfeeding mothers should consult their healthcare provider for a risk benefit assessment based on clinical judgement before taking the vaccine.

28. A person outside India, who has received first dose of AstraZeneca's vaccine, whether he can take second dose of COVISHIELD in India?

Both COVISHIELD(manufactured by Serum Institute of India Pvt Ltd) and COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca (manufactured by AstraZeneca) are ChAdOx1 nCoV- 19 Corona Virus Vaccines (Recombinant). There is no data available when both these vaccines are used interchangeably.
However, the World Health Organization (WHO) states that ChAdOx1-S [recombinant] products (AstraZeneca AZD1222, SII COVISHIELDTM) are considered equivalent and interchangeable for both doses and recommends that both doses should be administered with ChAdOx1-S product. 

29. Can I take 1 dose of COVISHIELDTM and 1 dose of another COVID-19 vaccine?

There is no safety, immunogenicity or efficacy data to support interchangeability of COVISHIELDTM with other COVID-19 vaccines. It is recommended that individuals who receive a first dose of COVISHIELDTM complete the vaccination course with COVISHIELDTM.

I will keep updating about the future upcoming vaccines in India and also about the vaccines used outside India,on my next blogs.So please follow my blogs ,my page,my contents,will try to give more informations related health sector.Thank you all.So ,right now,Bye and have a good day to all of you.😀😀😀😀

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