Is it safe to take a Covid-19 vaccine shot?

Normally, it takes several years of clinical trials before a vaccine is given approval. But Covid-19 vaccines are being approved with trials conducted for less than a year. Shall I take it? Is it effective?

These are some of the questions faced by scientists and others involved in Covid vaccine trials in the UK. The same confusion and anxiety are there among many healthcare workers in Calcutta and other parts of Bengal, where the vaccination is set to start on Saturday.

Calcutta girl Divya Chadha Manek, clinical trials lead for the UK vaccines taskforce in the London region, told Metro they found doubts, anxiety and reluctance among people while conducting the trials since March 2020. Communication, she said, is the key to allay misconceptions.

Addressing problems

In the UK, according to Divya, the most common doubts expressed by people during vaccine trials and roll-out was whether one should take the jab considering the short span of the clinical trials.

“Usually it takes 10 years for clinical trials to be completed in various phases. But for Covid vaccines, including Covishield (developed) by the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca, the trials were conducted and approval was given by the regulatory authorities in the UK in less than a year,” said Divya, who has been involved in trials of flu vaccines, including those for influenza, for 14 years in the UK. The trials are conducted by the National Institute for Health Research.

“The answer to why it was given such a quick approval was coordination and funding by government, industry and regulatory agencies engaged at all levels.”

The Centre has sent around seven lakh doses of Covishield to Bengal.

“The anxiety factor in the UK about the vaccine was very high. People even asked whether the government is microchipping them through the vaccination drive,” said Divya. “Many people are also concerned about the side-effects, both immediate and long term.”

“All the phases of the trial were conducted (in the UK) and the health regulatory authorities gave the approval after examining all data,” Divya said. Still, there is a close monitoring system in the UK for possible reactions, she said.

“The usual side-effects for Covishield as seen during the trials are fever, headache and pain, and bruises around the part of the body where the vaccine is administered. But these are common for many other vaccines,” said Divya.

As for another Covid vaccine, which has provoked allergic reactions among some recipients, the authorities have said those having anti-allergic drugs should not take it, she said.

The UK authorities, Divya said, have taken communication drives at several levels to allay the misconceptions and anxiety.

“We are involving community groups to explain to people that it is safe. Also, there are media campaigns. Celebrities are taking vaccines and saying how safe it is. The government in the UK is actively involved in the communication process. The Queen herself took the vaccine and said it is safe,” she said. “The government is also using social media to spread the message.”

Bengal situation

In Calcutta and other parts of Bengal, several doctors and healthcare workers have expressed reluctance to take the Covishield jab on Saturday, officials said.

“Some doctors came to me and said let others take the dose first. We’ll follow suit after seeing their reactions,” said an official of a government medical college in Calcutta. “To allay fears we are choosing senior, well-known doctors who are willing to take the jab in the initial days.”

The global advisory board set up by chief minister Mamata Banerjee, and chaired by Nobel laureate Abhijit Vinayak Banerjee, discussed the problem on Thursday, sources said.

“We’ll set up a strategy for communication soon,” said a member of the board.

“Over a period of time, we’ll be able to communicate more on the vaccine.

Also, both the state and the Centre are doing media campaigns about the safety of the vaccine.”