NEW DELHI (AP) – Indian coronavirus vaccine developer Bharat Biotech warned people with weak immunity and other medical conditions, including allergies, fever or bleeding disorders, on Tuesday to consult a doctor before getting the vaccine – and, if possible, avoid the vaccine.
The company said those receiving vaccinations should disclose their medical condition, the medications they are taking and any history of allergies. He said severe allergic reactions among vaccine recipients can include shortness of breath, swelling of the face and throat, rapid heartbeat, rash, dizziness and weakness.
The vaccine developed by Bharat Biotech has faced controversy after the Indian government allowed its use without concrete data to demonstrate its effectiveness in preventing COVID-19. Tens of thousands of people have been shot in the past three days after India began inoculating health workers last weekend in what is arguably the world’s largest coronavirus vaccination campaign.
India vaccinated 148,266 people on Monday, bringing the total to 381,305, the health ministry said.
Indian authorities hope to administer vaccines to 300 million people. Beneficiaries must include 30 million doctors, nurses and other front-line workers, followed by 270 million people over the age of 50 or with diseases that make them vulnerable to COVID-19.
India on January 4 approved the emergency use of two vaccines, one developed by Oxford University and the British doctor AstraZeneca, and the other by Bharat Biotech. The regulator took the step without publishing information on the effectiveness of the Indian vaccine.
Bharat Biotech has not yet released data on the effectiveness of the vaccine, but said it is following the guidelines of clinical trials.
The regulator says the vaccine is safe and has given its approval in the belief that it could be more effective in tackling a new variant of the coronavirus found in the UK. .
Most hospitals in India inoculate health workers with the AstraZeneca vaccine. But turnout, especially in those hospitals that use the Bharat Biotech vaccine, has been relatively low, health officials said.
New Delhi hospitals that administered the Bharat Biotech vaccine saw that many doctors were reluctant to get the vaccine.
Dr Vinod K. Paul, a member of the NITI Aayog government think tank, said concerns about the side effects of the vaccine appeared to be “unfounded and insignificant”.
“If our health care workers, especially doctors and nurses, refuse it, then it is very unfortunate,” Paul told reporters. “Healthcare workers should trust our system.”
The vaccination mechanism began at a time when coronavirus infections abruptly decreased and much of life returned to normal.
India ranks second in the US in the number of confirmed cases, with over 10.5 million. The country ranks third in the number of reported deaths, behind the US and Brazil, with over 152,000.