Covid 19 vaccines Covishield, Covaxin ‘side effects’: What we know so far

Covid 19 Vaccines side effects in India: Serum Institute of India’s Covishield and Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin are being administered as part of India’s Covid-19 vaccine drive. However, both the Serum Institute of India and Bharat biotech have released fact sheets mentioning “side effects” of their Covid-19 vaccines to make people aware before receiving the vaccines.

India is administering Covishield and Covaxin Covid-19 vaccines to 1 crore healthcare workers—both from public and private health facilities—and around 2 crore state and central police personnel, armed forces personnel, home guards, civil defences and disaster management volunteers, municipal workers, prison staff, and revenue workers involved in containment and surveillance. Apart from them, around 27 crore population belonging to prioritised age groups – those who are over 50 years and those who are below 50 years with comorbidities.

Covaxin

Bharat Biotech has stated that side effects that have been reported with Covaxin are – injection site pain, injection site swelling, injection site redness, injection site itching, stiffness in the upper arm, weakness in the injection arm, body ache, headache, fever, malaise, weakness, rashes, nausea, and vomiting.

Apart from these, Bharat Biotech has said that there is a “remote chance” that Covaxin could cause severe allergic reactions. These are – Difficulty in breathing, swelling of your face and throat, a fast heartbeat, rash all over your body, and dizziness and weakness.

If you experience any side effect or side effects, please contact/visit your health provider/vaccinator/ officer supervising your vaccination or immediately go to the nearest hospital, Bharat Biotech said.

Covishield

Serum Institute of India (SII), the manufacturer of Covishield developed by Oxford-AstraZeneca, has stated that there are side effects that have been reported with Covishield. The SII has stated that “very common” side effects that may affect more than 1 in 10 people are tenderness, pain, warmth, redness, itching, swelling, or bruises where the injection is given, generally feeling unwell, fatigue, chills, or feeling feverish, headache, nausea, and joint pain or muscle ache.

SII said that there are side effects that are ‘common’ and may affect up to 1 in 10 people are a lump at the injection site, fever, vomiting, flu-like symptoms such as temperature, sore throat, runny nose, cough, and chills.

SII said that there are side effects that are ‘uncommon’ that may affect up to one in 100 people. These are feeling dizzy, deceased appetite, abdominal pain, enlarged lymph nodes, excessive sweating, itchy skin, or rash.

If you experience any such side effects, call the healthcare provider if you have any side effects that bother you or do not go away. In addition, you can report side effects after vaccination to Serum Institute of India Pvt Ltd who is the manufacturer of the COVISHIELD vaccine. The 24 x 7 Call Center Toll-Free Number (For Medical and Adverse Event-Related Queries Only): +91-1800 1200124, SII said.