India’s homegrown vaccine developer Bharat Biotech yesterday warned people with weaker immunity and other medical conditions that include allergies, fever, or a bleeding disorder to consult a doctor before taking the shot — and if possible avoid the vaccine.
The vaccine ran into controversy after the Indian government allowed its use without concrete data that showed it was effective in preventing illness from COVID-19.
Tens of thousands of people have been given the shot in the past three days after India started inoculating its healthcare workers last weekend in what is likely the world’s largest COVID-19 vaccination campaign.
The company said those receiving jabs should disclose their medical conditions, medicines they are taking and any history of allergies.
It said that symptoms of a severe allergic reaction in vaccine recipients might include difficulty in breathing, swelling of the face and throat, rapid heartbeat, body rashes, dizziness and weakness.
India on Jan. 4 approved the emergency use of two vaccines, one developed by University of Oxford and UK-based drugmaker AstraZeneca, and another by Bharat Biotech.
However, the regulator took the step without publishing information about the Indian vaccine’s efficacy.
Most hospitals in India are inoculating healthcare workers with the AstraZeneca vaccine.
However, the turnout, particularly in those hospitals where the Bharat Biotech vaccine is being administered, has been relatively low, health officials said.
Hospitals in New Delhi that have been administering the Bharat Biotech vaccine have seen many doctors hesitate to take the shot.
The Indian Ministry of Health on Monday said that 381,305 people had been vaccinated in the country.
India is second only to the US in the number of confirmed cases, with more than 10.58 million. It ranks third in the number of deaths, with more than 152,500, behind the US and Brazil.
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