Covaxin recipients to be followed-up for 3 months after 2nd dose: ICMR

Following the administration of COVID-19 vaccine 'Covaxin', the recipients will remain at the vaccination site for at least 30 minutes of the observation to record any adverse event, said the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) in its guidelines for the vaccination drive.

The recipients will be followed-up for a period of three months after the second dose of vaccination, it said.

The ICMR has issued the key Standard Operating Procedure (SoP) for the restricted use authorisation of Covaxin under clinical trial mode stating, in case of severe/serious adverse event at any given point of time after vaccination, he/she will report to the nearest health facility for treatment and will also inform the designated vaccinator.

"He/she will return to the session site on day 28 or on the date given to him/her for the 2nd dose of Covaxin. All the vaccine recipients will be followed-up for a period of 3 months after the second dose of vaccination," the SoPs stated.

The individuals with the following conditions will not be eligible for vaccination -- have any history of allergies, have a fever, bleeding disorder or are on a blood thinner, are immunocompromised, or are on a medicine that affects their immune system, pregnant, breastfeeding, have received another COVID-19 vaccine, any other serious health-related issues as determined by the Vaccinator/Officer supervising vaccination.

India has given emergency use authorisation to two COVID-19 vaccines being manufactured in the country - Covishield and Covaxin. While Covishield has been developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University, Covaxin is an indigenous vaccine developed by Bharat Biotech in collaboration with ICMR.

On January 16, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the world's largest vaccination drive against the pandemic.