Rest for at least half an hour: Centre's guideline ahead of vaccination Day 1

Health care workers who will be vaccinated as India begins its emergency vaccination drive from today onwards have been asked to rest at least for half an hour after getting vaccinated at the vaccine centre itself. All vaccine sites have three marked areas for waiting, vaccination and observation. After one gets the jab, it has been advised to not leave the site immediately as the effects of the shot, if any, will be monitored. In all these areas, where the presence of more than one person is possible, Covid-19-appropriate behaviour, including the wearing of masks and social distancing, is to be followed.

Though India has been carrying out large-scale vaccination drives for decades, since this is going to be the world's largest vaccination against the deadly Covid-19, precautionary measures are being taken.

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The Centre has already specified age, medical, physical conditions which are not suitable for vaccination.

Vaccinators and officials have also been trained on how to respond if there is any AEFI (adverse event following immunisation).

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As the ministry has listed, Covishield, the Oxford Astrazeneca vaccine locally manufactured by Serum Institute of India, can lead to tenderness and pain at the part of the body injected with the vaccine, headache, fatigue, myalgia, malaise, pyrexia, chills and arthralgia, nausea.

Paracetamol may be used to provide symptomatic relief from post-vaccination adverse reactions.

Covaxin, manufactured by Bharat Biotech, may lead to injection site pain, headache, fatigue, fever, body ache, abdominal pain, nausea and vomitting, dizziness-giddiness, tremor, sweating, cold, cough and injection site swelling.