BY SURESH PERERA

Many people who were administered the Indian Covishield Covid-19 vaccine have developed severe side effects, but a senior medical professional assured that there’s nothing to worry as “it shows that with a very high immune response, the jab is working”.

A health worker in Colombo had even fainted not because there was something amiss with the vaccine, but due to what was perceived as Trypanophobia (extreme fear of medical procedures involving injections or hypodermic needles), he said.

“In my career, I have come across not only patients, but even health workers who have a morbid fear of injections and surgical procedures so much so they tremble at the thought of undergoing the treatment”, he noted.

Side effects and allergic reactions are not confined to the Covishield jab as it’s a common phenomenon even when it comes to penicillin and certain other antibiotics, the medical professional outlined.

He said that the most common side effects amongst people who had received the Covishield vaccine are fever, body aches and pains, cramps and vomiting.

When told about some health workers who had started to tremble after receiving the jab at a hospital in the south, he assured there was no reason to panic as the reaction to the vaccine will gradually taper off as the body gets hold of it.

“These side effects are not fatal at all”, he stressed, adding that older people are more tolerant of the Covid vaccine.

In a scenario where three to four positive cases are found in every 100 persons screened in Colombo, there could be asymptomatic patients or those with antibodies in their system also receiving the jab, the official opined.

With an extensive Covild inoculation drive, the country will be able to move towards herd immunity, which means that when most of the population is immune to an infectious disease, it provides indirect protection to those who are not immune to the disease, he continued.

It’s akin to vaccinating five people and providing protection to the three others sharing a room with them, he noted.

A consultant surgeon who is 60 years old said that he and his family were administered the Covishield vaccine but no side effects were experienced.

He said that there had been instances where certain antibiotic drugs had led to allergic reactions in patients with some fatalities reported.

“It doesn’t play out the same way in most cases and we should weigh the risk versus benefits. Just as much as antibiotics have killed some people, how many millions of lives have the drugs been able to save?”, he asked.

The risk is minimal with medicinal drugs but the advantages are more in terms of treating the sick and saving lives, he emphasized.

He said inoculating the population against the raging virus is the only way out for Sri Lanka as if the pandemic gets out of hand with transmission levels spiraling, the fallout will be devastating not only socially but economically as well.

So far the Covishield jab has proven its worth and the time is opportune to inoculate more and more people to ensure long-term immunity from the deadly contagion, he added.

“This vaccine will help us prevent the further spread of Covid-19 and thereby overcome the threat by ensuring long-term protection from the virus”, he said.

India donated 500,000 doses of the Covishield jab to Sri Lanka, which were administered to front-line health workers and armed services personnel under the initial phase.

Concerns have been raised worldwide over reports that some people have possible allergic reactions to Covid-19 vaccines. A team of experts who examined the cases reassured that the vaccines can be given safely, even to people with food or medication allergies.

Meanwhile, Serum Institute of India, the manufacturer of Covishield, warned that people severely allergic to any ingredient of Covid-19 vaccine are advised not to take it.

One should not get the Covishield vaccine if there was a severe allergic reaction after a previous dose of the jab, the Institute said in a factsheet for the vaccine recipient on the website to “help the recipient understand the risks and benefits of the Covishield vaccine”.

The ingredients of Covishield vaccine are “L-Histidine, L-Histidine hydrochloride monohydrate, Magnesium chloride hexahydrate, Polysorbate 80, Ethanol, Sucrose, Sodium chloride, Disodium edetate dihydrate (EDTA), Water for injection”, the Pune-based Serum Institute said.

Media reports quoted the Indian Health Ministry confirming 447 adverse reactions to Covid-19 vaccines as 224,301 people received the first dose of vaccines in the country as of January 17, 2020.

“Of the 447 Adverse Event Following Immunization (AEFIs), three had to be hospitalized, while two of them have now been discharged after 24 hours, one continues to be under observation,” said Manohar Agnani, joint secretary at the Health Ministry.