Can Covid-19 vaccine cause infertility? Harsh Vardhan busts myth

Vardhan asked people to trust only official channels of communication to get correct information about Covid-19

Ahead of the Covid-19 vaccination drive on January 16, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan took to Twitter to bust some myths surrounding the process.

The government on Saturday will launch one of the world's biggest vaccination programmes and administer two Covid-19 vaccines — Oxford Covid-19 vaccine Covishield, manufactured by the Serum Institute, and indigenously developed Covaxin of Bharat Biotech — to over 3 lakh health workers.

Also read — Here's who shouldn't be taking Covid-19 vaccine

Busting the myths around whether the Covid-19 vaccine causes infertility in men or women, the health minister stated that "there is no scientific evidence" to suggest that infertility could be caused in either men or women.

"Infertility is not known to occur as a result of Covid-19 disease either," he added.

Also Read — Covid-19 vaccination drive on January 16 but questions remain

Vardhan further asked people to trust only official channels of communication of the government to get correct information about Covid-19 and not pay heed to rumours or information from unverified sources.

The health minister clarified that although there may be side effects to the vaccines, "they are expected to go away on their own after some time".

Also read — Are there any side effects of Covid-19 vaccines?

"As is true for many other vaccines, some individuals may have side effects such as mild fever, pain at the site of injection and body ache. However, these side effects are temporary and should go away on their own after some time," the minister tweeted.

The government has purchased 1.1 crore doses of Covishield vaccine from SII at the cost of ₹200 per dose, excluding taxes, while 55 lakh doses of Covaxin are being procured from Bharat Biotech India Limited.