From 1 May, Covid-19 vaccination will be open for everyone above 18 years through booking on Co-Win website. The registration process for the third phase of inoculation drive will begin on 28 April. The government has liberalised the vaccination drive to allow states, private hospitals and industrial establishments to procure the doses directly from manufacturers.
Phase-I of the nationwide Covid-19 vaccination drive was launched on January 16, prioritizing protection for healthcare workers and frontline workers. The phase-II was initiated from March 1, focusing on protecting most vulnerable i.e. all people above 45 years of age.
Here is all you need to know about Covid-19 vaccines Covishield and Covaxin:
Price
Bharat Biotech has fixed the price of its Covid-19 vaccine, Covaxin, at ₹600 per dose for state governments and at ₹1,200 per dose for private hospitals.
Serum Institute of India (SII)'s Covishield will be available at a price for ₹400 per dose to state governments and ₹600 per dose to private hospitals.
Second dose
If you are taking Covaxin, then the second dose should be taken within four to six weeks. If you are getting Covishield, the second dose should be taken in four to eight weeks.
Efficacy
Both the vaccines comprise two doses.Covaxin, India's indigenous vaccine against COVID-19 demonstrated "overall interim clinical efficacy" of 78 per cent and 100 per cent efficacy against "severe COVID-19 disease" in Phase-3 trials.
Covishield has an overall efficacy of 70 per cent, but it can be over 90 per cent when administered as a half dose followed by a full dose a month later.
Side-effects
The mild side-effects of Covaxin include 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, vomiting. The company said that there is a slim chance the vaccine causes a severe allergic reaction. Signs of a severe adverse event include difficulty in breathing, swelling of face and throat, fast heart-beat, rashes all over the body, dizziness and weakness.
Some of the very common side effects of Covishield are tenderness, pain, warmth, redness, itching, swelling or bruising where the injection is given, generally feeling unwell, chills or feeling feverish, headache or joint aches.
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