Covid-19 Vaccination

Covid-19 Vaccination

Covid-19 Vaccination

Covid-19 Vaccination

The world is in the midst of a COVID-19 pandemic. As WHO and partners work together on the response — tracking the pandemic, advising on critical interventions, distributing vital medical supplies to those in need— they are racing to develop and deploy safe and effective vaccines.

Vaccines save millions of lives each year. Vaccines work by training and preparing the body’s natural defences – the immune system – to recognize and fight off the viruses and bacteria they target. After vaccination, if the body is later exposed to those disease-causing germs, the body is immediately ready to destroy them, preventing illness. As of 18 February 2021, at least seven different vaccines across three platforms have been rolled out in countries. Vulnerable populations in all countries are the highest priority for vaccination.

How long after Covid can you take the vaccine?

Therefore, to be safe, it’s best to wait at least 14 days after you were either diagnosed with Covid-19 or started having Covid-19 symptoms before getting a Covid-19 vaccine. This applies whether you are looking to get your first dose or your second dose of the vaccine.

Which vaccine is given in India for Covid?

Currently, India is using the AstraZeneca vaccine, locally known as Covishield and produced by the Serum Institute of India, and Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin

Why do we require two COVID-19 vaccine doses instead of one? Multiple COVID-19 vaccines that are available in the market, including the Covishield, Covaxin, and Sputnik V vaccines that have been approved for usage in India, currently consist of two doses. Both these doses perform slightly different sub-functions. The first, known as the “prime dose”, prepares the human immune system to build antibodies. However, these antibodies aren’t long-lasting, and they gradually wane with time. This is where the second dose, referred to as the “booster dose”, comes in. It boosts the immune system’s production of a large number of antibodies, while also stimulating the memory cells, so that the body remembers this infection and continues to create antibodies against it for a long period. In simpler terms, one dose enables a relatively weaker immune response from the body. Therefore, it requires an extra second dose, which teaches the immune system to produce stronger and longer-lasting responses.

https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/covid-19-vaccines

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