When Bharat Biotech's Covaxin was allowed for restricted emergency use under the clinical trial mode in January, beneficiaries had to fill a form mentioning whether they had any kind of allergies as the company at that time suggested advised not to take the vaccine if one has allergies. As Bharat Biotech provided more data, its vaccine was removed from the 'clinical trial' mode.
So, can people with allergies can take Covaxin now? Without specifying the name of the vaccine, Dr VK Paul of Niti Aayog said if one has a severe allergy issue, then it's better to consult a doctor before getting vaccinated. But if it is a common allergy issue of skin, then there should be no hesitation to take any Covid-19 vaccines.
AIIMS director Dr Randeep Guleria said if one is on allergy medication, then the medication should be continued after vaccination. "If there is any allergic reaction post the vaccination, then once can report to the doctors at the vaccination centre," Dr Guleria said.
{{/usCountry}}AIIMS director Dr Randeep Guleria said if one is on allergy medication, then the medication should be continued after vaccination. "If there is any allergic reaction post the vaccination, then once can report to the doctors at the vaccination centre," Dr Guleria said.
{{/usCountry}}According to Bharat Biotech, the manufacturer of the vaccines, individuals with a history of allergies to oral medications or a family history of allergic reactions, or who might have a mild allergy to vaccines (but no anaphylaxis) may still get vaccinated.
But those who have known allergies to any component of Covaxin should not take the vaccine, the company said. And these components are 6µg of whole-virion inactivated SARS-CoV-2 antigen (Strain: NIV-2020-770), and the other inactive ingredients such as aluminium hydroxide gel 250 µg, TLR 7/8 agonist (imidazoquinolinone) 15 µg, 2-phenoxyethanol 2.5 mg, and phosphate buffer saline up to 0.5 ml.
As far as Covishield is concerned, one should not take the vaccine if the first dose of it creates a severe allergic reaction, Serum Institute of India had disclosed it in its fact sheet. If one has a known allergy to any ingredient of the vaccine which includes L-Histidine, L-Histidine hydrochloride monohydrate, Magnesium chloride hexahydrate, Polysorbate 80, Ethanol, Sucrose, Sodium chloride, Disodium edetate dihydrate (EDTA), one should not take the vaccine, the company said earlier.