Possibility of adverse event after Covid-19 vaccination can't be ruled out; states, UTs should be prepared: Centre

As India plans for a massive vaccination drive against Covid-19, every state has been advised to create dedicated centres in each block to manage possible post-vaccination adverse events ranging from allergic reactions, high fever to more serious issues that can develop a day after being administered the shot.

Authorities at 633 districts were advised to create at least one such dedicated centre equipped with doctors and paramedical staff at each block to manage the adverse events. Detailed instructions on infection prevention and control practices during vaccination and management of minor, severe, serious AEFI have been issued to states by the Centre.

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“We can't deny the possibility of an adverse event when the Covid-19 vaccination begins. In countries where inoculation has already started, especially in the UK, adverse events took place on the very first day. It is essential that states and Union Territories prepare for this too,” said Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan.

Every vaccination site has been linked to one such unit so that in case of any serious side-effect, the recipient can be taken to a management centre quickly.

"Our existing AEFI (adverse events following immunisation) system is targeted towards children and women. Most of these vaccines are administered in hospital settings. So, while dealing with an adult vaccine, there has to be separate AEFI management unit as the Covid-19 vaccines are new vaccines based on multiple types of platforms,” Vinod Paul, NITI Ayog member and a former professor at AIIMS Delhi said on Tuesday.

The Centre initially plans to vaccinate 30 crore individuals, starting with one crore doctors and two crore front-line workers. While six vaccines are under clinical evaluation at the moment, three manufacturers have approached the Central Drug Standards and Control Organisation seeking emergency use authorisation.

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During the clinical trials in India, two such adverse events were recorded in Covid-19 vaccines manufactured by Bharat Biotech, Hyderabad and Serum Institute, Pune.

Preliminary probe by the institutional ethics committee found no causal links between the vaccine and the adverse effects and the trial continues. The regulator, CDSCO, however, is silent so far.

“Given the limited period of information available for (Covid-19) vaccines, it is necessary to allay if any apprehensions are there in addition to the built robust evidence base for real-time effectiveness,” Giridhar Babu, an epidemiologist at the Public Health Foundation of India told DH, explaining the importance of setting up the AEFI network.

While the daily count of fresh Covid-19 cases has dropped to 22,000 plus, India is on the cusp of registering more than one crore Covid-19 cases as the tally stood at 99.06 lakh. The death toll stands at 1,43,709, of which 354 was added in the last 24 hours.