WHO and regulatory authorities will continuously monitor the use of Covid -19 vaccines to identify and respond to any safety issues that might arise.
Covid vaccine in children is very safe. Approved by Govt of India for children between 15-18 years of age. There are strict precautions in place to ensure the safety of all Covid vaccines. Before receiving validation from WHO and national regulatory agencies for emergency use, Covid -19 vaccines must undergo rigorous testing in clinical trials to prove that they meet internationally agreed benchmark for safety and efficacy. As with all vaccines, WHO and regulatory authorities will continuously monitor the use of Covid -19 vaccines to identify and respond to any safety issues that might arise. Need few precautions before giving Covid vaccine. Covid -19 vaccine and other vaccines should be separated by an interval of at least 14 days. Second dose should also be of the same Covid -19 vaccines which was administered as the first dose. Interchangeability of Covid -19 vaccines is not allowed. Persons who developed allergic reactions to a previous dose of vaccine should not receive the second dose. Persons who have active Covid infection, vaccination should defer till 4-8 weeks after recovery. Vaccine should be administered with caution in persons with history of bleeding disorder. It is recommended that both doses of vaccine should be taken for full benefit of vaccination.
Like any vaccine, some people will experience mild to moderate pain on the injection site, muscle pain, headache. These are the signs that the body’s immune system is responding to vaccine and gearing up against the virus. Sometimes mild to moderate fever with or without chill. These symptoms disappear own its own in few days without any treatment.
Following are the reported side effect of Covid -19 vaccine
• Fever
• Fatigue
• Headache
• Muscle pain
• Chills
• Diarrhoea
• Pain at the injection site
If high temperature lasts longer than 2 days, a new continuous cough developed, should suspect to have Covid -19 infection. And infection not from the Covid -19 vaccine, may have caught it just before or after vaccination.
The Author is a Paediatrician