ALL ABOUT COVID 19 VACCINATION (A MUST-KNOW REPORT)

 

ALL ABOUT COVID 19 VACCINATION (A MUST-KNOW REPORT):-

Different types of vaccines are available at the moment for Covid 19 and it is a good idea to know the various brands and the different technologies that are used to prepare these vaccines. Of course, in some countries like India, we do not have a choice about which vaccine or brand to take, however, the good news is that each vaccine is well researched and introduced only after it is proved that it works. In this discussion, we are also going to discuss the side effects of the vaccine and the precautions that we have to take on the day we take the vaccine. 

What are the various types/brands of vaccines?

The following are the vaccines included in WHO’s EUL list:

There are two types of vaccines available in India: Covaxin and Covishield.

Covaxin is made in India by a company called Bharat Biotech. Even though covaxin is not included in the WHO’s EUL list yet, the Indian government approved its shot, without the completion of phase III trials. This is why covaxin has a lot of controversies and discussions about its safety and authenticity all over the world. Currently, the company has completed its phase III trial and WHO mentioned that the vaccine is under review. Prestigious medical journal “Lancet” mentioned that after a covaxin test covering over 375 people showed “tolerable safety outcomes and enhanced medical responses.”

Covishield is produced by Serum Institute in Pune, India and as the chart shows it is included in the WHO’s EUL list.

An interesting fact:

In covaxin an inactive coronavirus is used and along with certain chemical processes, the vaccine is prepared. On the other hand, covishield uses a chimpanzee’s virus which causes cough and cold in a chimpanzee. This virus is weakened, shaped like the coronavirus and after a lot of chemical processes this vaccine is prepared.

How does a vaccine work?

Every vaccine, be it for polio, hepatitis, measles, or covid 19, works in the same way. Now the common diseases like cough and cold, fever, fungal infections, etc are already recognized by the body due to which the body is already prepared to fight these diseases by producing antibodies. However, Covid 19 is a new disease and our body cannot recognize it as there are no antibodies present. Hence the body does not fight with the virus and the virus gets time to multiply itself and make us fall sick. By the time the body recognizes that the virus is harmful, it starts producing the antibodies in 5 to 6 days and we can recover from the disease. However, in some situations due to delayed antibody production or low immunity system, we can see that the symptoms become very severe from mild as the virus multiplies very fast.

Now, when the person is vaccinated, the vaccine introduces our body to a weak or inactive  virus and antibodies are produced, making the body ready to fight when active viruses enters our body from the environment.

Why vaccination is important?

The army needs to be prepared whenever enemy attacks. However, if the army does not even recognize who is the enemy, then it becomes impossible to win over the enemy. Our vaccine also works similarly. It makes the body recognize the enemy and prepares it to fight against it. The antibodies produced in our body due to the vaccine stops the virus to multiply and this stops the disease to become severe. In case of covid 19 too, the scenario is exactly the same. The antibodies kill the coronavirus and stop the virus from multiplying. In some cases, symptoms might appear even after vaccination, however, the symptoms remain mild to moderate and do not become severe, as the body already recognizes the harmful virus and kills it immediately. Hence vaccination for Covid 19 is highly recommended to stop the spread of the virus and end the pandemic.

How safe is the vaccine for the body?

There are a lot of myths against the covid 19 vaccines, however, apart from the mild after–effects, Covid 19 vaccine is completely safe. If we are given a choice between coronavirus or the vaccine, definitely, we should opt for the choice of taking the vaccine after observing the death rate caused due to the coronavirus. 

Side-effects can be on the arm where you have received the vaccine or throughout the rest of the body.

Side effects are milder after the first vaccine as compared to the second vaccine. Handling fever, headache, pain after injection are some of the after-effects that we are already familiar with, and we know how to handle them. Hence there is no need to worry about these after-effects and after 2 or 3 days these will eventually subside. 

What should we do the day we take the vaccine?

Covid 19 vaccine is a regular vaccine just like any other vaccines, hence no precautionary measures are required to be taken on the day of taking the vaccine.

If there is a pain in the arms, ice packs may be used to relieve the pain, however, hot packs should never be used.  

Can breastfeeding mothers and pregnant women receive the vaccine?

According to WHO’s recommendation, mothers who are breastfeeding can receive the vaccine and continue breastfeeding after taking the vaccine. According to CDC (Centres for Disease Control and prevention), USA, the virus in the vaccine is inactive or non-replicable. This means that they can produce immune responses but cannot reproduce inside the host’s cells. 

Pregnant women may receive the vaccine if they are at a high risk of exposure to the coronavirus. In India, the covid 19 vaccines that are currently used are not allowed to be used on pregnant women by the health authorities of India.

Breast-feeding mothers should however consult with the doctor before taking the vaccine. Immunity-suppressed people like people who have HIV or under steroids should also take the advice of the doctor.

Any medicine for Covid 19:  

Tablet Fabiflu is an anti-viral tablet used specifically for the treatment of mild to moderate coronavirus disease (Covid 19). However, this medicine cannot be self-medicated and should be under the prescription of a registered medical practitioner only.

There is a new medicine for coronavirus which is called 2Dg. It is not available in pharmacies and only doctors are allowed to administer the medicine. This medicine is used for moderate to severe symptoms only. The drug is developed by the Defense Research and Development Organisation’s laboratory Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences partnered with Dr. Reddy’s Laboratory. 

This drug is a glucose analogue. It looks like glucose but it is not. The virus who is multiplying fast needs food and when it takes the glucose analogue it gets arrested and this stops the virus from multiplying. The oxygen demand increases once the virus starts multiplying, however, because the multiplication is stopped the oxygen demand is also addressed.

To know more about the medicines and medical equipment that is necessary during home isolation click here.

Conclusion:

With this discussion, we can conclude that receiving a vaccine has become of utmost importance to stop the spread of this Covid 19 virus and break the chain. The vaccine is safe and this is the only way to stop this pandemic and make this world a better place to live.