How Reliable Is It? Meet The Person Who Took The First Dose Of Covaxin COVID-19 Vaccine

I received the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine Covaxin on December 30, 2020, at AIIMS, New Delhi. According to the doctor, my second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine is scheduled for January 27, 2021, and during this time, I will be under supervision.

A file has been shared with me by the AIIMS DOTS center which I have to update in case of any kind of health issue.

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Seven days have passed since the first dose of Bharat Biotech Covaxin was administered. So far, I have not noticed any health-related issues. Right now I feel as healthy and strong as before.

Why did I participate in the COVID-19 vaccine trial?

In the early days of 2020, when the pandemic started spreading across the world, people could not understand the seriousness of the virus that claimed many innocent lives. The most horrible thing was that there was no vaccine or medicine to control its spread.

Covaxin Covid-19 vaccine by Bharat BioTech

To contain the coronavirus many countries across the world had imposed a lockdown. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also announced a 21-day nationwide lockdown on March 24, 2020, to control its spread in India.

Unfortunately, the hastily announced restrictions left lakhs of migrant workers all over the country jobless and homeless because most of these workers worked as daily wagers or were employed in factories that had to be shut.

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With no source of income and lack of food, they seemingly had no other option but to go home. Due to the nationwide lockdown, there were no transport facilities available to ferry them to their villages, hence they were being forced to walk hundreds of kilometres to get home. During this difficult journey, many migrant workers lost their lives.

In my opinion, if the coronavirus vaccine could be developed, then employment opportunities would go up as well. Poor migrant labourers will finally get to work in factories again and take care of their families. People whose businesses had stopped due to the pandemic would also be able to recover losses. That¡¯s why I participated in the trial of Bharat Biotech Covaxin, which would show how effective it really is.

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To tackle the coronavirus pandemic, scientists from across the world have been working hard to develop vaccines for the last one year. Indian scientists also worked round the clock to make the indigenous COVID-19 vaccine. Right now, India¡¯s Bharat Biotech Covaxin is conducting its third phase clinical trial across the country.

Am I afraid to be a part of this trial?

I have been a regular blood donor in AIIMS New Delhi blood bank for the last six years and that is the main reason why I was not afraid to participate in the clinical trial of the coronavirus vaccine. If I hadn¡¯t donated blood regularly then maybe I would have been apprehensive to participate in the clinical trial.

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I understand that man is a social animal and that¡¯s why whenever we get a chance to do something for the betterment of our society then we must. I will always be thankful to my friend whose Facebook post gave me information about the clinical trial of Bharat Biotech¡¯s COVID-19 vaccine Covaxin. After seeing the friend's Facebook posts I contacted AIIMS and joined the vaccine clinical trial.

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How is the trial of the coronavirus vaccine done?

On December 30, 2020, I reached AIIMS New Delhi, at around three o¡¯clock in the afternoon. I had a lot of questions in my mind. The first thing I asked the doctor was: If I were to die or any health-related issues occurred due to participation in the trial of Bharat Biotech Covaxin, then would I get any kind of financial support from Bharat Biotech or ICMR?

The second question was, do I have to follow the quarantine protocol after taking the first dose of Covaxin?

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The doctor present at AIIMS DOTS centre answered all my queries. The doctor said that in the case of my death during the trial, my family would be given financial help based on my age and annual income.

The doctor also added that one can¡¯t do family planning for six months after participating in the vaccine trial. He also said, there will be no problem with sexual relationships. Also, even after vaccination, all COVID-19 protocols such as wearing a face mask and social distancing will have to be followed.

ALSO READ: India's Indigenous Vaccine, Covaxin, Expected To Be At Least 60% Effective Against COVID-19

How much time does it take to complete the trial process?

ICMR and Bharat Biotech¡¯s Covaxin third-stage trial process took barely one hour to complete.

When I reached the AIIMS vaccine trial center, my height, weight, blood pressure and blood were tested on priority. Then the process of coronavirus tests was completed. After that, the available doctor vaccinated me. After vaccination, I stayed there under the doctor¡¯s supervision for 30 minutes.

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After getting vaccination on December 30, I haven't noticed any health-related issues so far. Everything's the same. Every two days the doctors from AIIMS call to monitor my health condition. My experience has been excellent so far. What will happen in the future, we will have to wait and see.

Afzal Alam is active as a freelance journalist. Afzal was participated in the Phase III clinical trial of ICMR and Bharat BioTech's COVID-19 Vaccine "COVAXIN". This article is based on the author¡¯s own experiences.

This article has been translated from Hindi. Read the original article here.