NEW DELHI (AP) – India’s coronavirus vaccine developer Bharat Biotech warned people with weak immunity and other medical conditions, including allergies, fever or bleeding disorder, on Tuesday to consult a doctor before receiving the vaccine and, if possible, avoid it.
The company said those receiving vaccines should disclose their medical condition, the medications they are taking and any history of allergy. Severe allergic reactions among vaccine recipients were said to include difficulty breathing, swelling of the face and throat, rapid heartbeat, body rashes, dizziness, and weakness.
The vaccine developed by Bharat Biotech entered into controversy after the Indian government allowed its use without specific data showing its effectiveness in preventing COVID-19. Tens of thousands of people have been shot in the last three days after India began inoculating health workers last weekend in what is likely to be the world’s largest coronavirus vaccination campaign.
India vaccinated 148,266 people on Monday, bringing the total to 381,305, the health ministry said.
Indian authorities expect to give vaccines to 300 million people. Recipients will include 30 million doctors, nurses and other front-line workers, followed by 270 million people over the age of 50 or with diseases that make them vulnerable to COVID-19.
On 4 January, India approved the emergency use of two vaccines, one developed by Oxford University and UK-based drug manufacturer AstraZeneca, and the other by Bharat Biotech. The regulator took the step without publishing information on the effectiveness of the Indian vaccine.
Bharat Biotech has not yet released data on the effectiveness of the vaccine, but said it meets the guidelines for clinical trials.
The regulator maintains that the vaccine is safe and gave its approval believing it could be more effective in tackling a new variant of the coronavirus found in the UK. The regulator and the company have said efficacy data will be released after the conclusion of the late clinical trials. .
Most hospitals in India inoculate health workers with the AstraZeneca vaccine. But turnout, especially in those hospitals that use the Bharat Biotech vaccine, has been relatively low, health officials said.
New Delhi hospitals that have administered the Bharat Biotech vaccine have seen how many doctors are hesitant to receive the vaccine.
Dr. Vinod K. Paul, a member of NITI Aayog, a government think tank, said concerns about the adverse effects of the vaccine seemed “unfounded and insignificant.”
“If our healthcare workers, especially doctors and nurses, are declining, it’s very unfortunate,” Paul told reporters. “Healthcare workers should have confidence in our system.”
The start of vaccination began at a time when coronavirus infections have dropped dramatically and much of life has returned to normal.
India ranks second in the United States in the number of confirmed cases, with more than 10.5 million. The country ranks third in the number of reported deaths, behind the United States and Brazil, with more than 152,000.