Citizens of age 15 years and above are eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Pregnant women are also eligible for vaccination. To read more about vaccination during pregnancy, click here

• Persons with a history of anaphylactic or an allergic reaction to a previous dose of vaccine.
• Immediate or delayed onset anaphylaxis or allergic reaction to vaccines or injectable therapies, pharmaceutical products, food items etc.

The documents include Aadhar Card, PAN Card, Driving License, Passport, Voter ID, Health Insurance Smart Card issued under the Ministry of Labour scheme, Passbooks issued by Bank/Post Office, Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) Job Card, and Service Identity Card with a photograph or a Pension Document. For age group 15-18 even school ID cards are allowed.

Two doses of vaccine need to be taken by all to complete the vaccination schedule. Precaution dose/third dose is administered to senior citizens with co-morbidities, health care workers and frontline workers.

• The second dose of Covishield is administered in the interval of 84 days to 112 days after the 1st dose.
• The second dose of Covaxin is administered in the interval of 28 days to 42 days after the 1st dose.
• There needs to be a gap of 9 months(39 weeks) between the second and third dose.

At Max-BLK Super Speciality Hospital, there are two choices- Covishield and Covaxin for 18 years and above. But for children of age 15years to 18 years, Covaxin is the only option as per government guidelines. Moreover, there is no vaccine intermixing, so the second and precaution doses will be the same as the first dose.

• The vaccine should be administered with caution in persons with a history of any bleeding or coagulation disorder (like clotting factor deficiency, coagulopathy, or platelet disorder).
• You should rest for at least half an hour after taking the Covid-19 vaccine in the observation area of the vaccination site. Any symptoms or discomfort must be reported to the Healthcare worker.

• Injection tenderness, injection site pain, headache, fatigue, fever, nausea are some minor adverse events that may occur.
• Very rare events of demyelinating disorders have been reported following vaccination, the Govt. advisory says.

Vaccination for COVID-19 is voluntary. However, it is advisable to receive the complete schedule of the COVID-19 vaccine to protect oneself against this disease and limit the spread of this disease to close contacts, including family members, friends, relatives, and co-workers.

After the second dose, it takes two to three weeks to develop an adequate immune response. However, people need to follow Covid protocols even after they are fully vaccinated.

Yes, vaccines are safe and decrease the chances of hospitalization and fatality.

Active and symptomatic individuals should defer vaccination for 3 Months after the symptoms are resolved.

Individuals who have co-morbid conditions should take the vaccine because they are part of the high-risk group. The medication will not interfere with vaccine efficacy.

As is true for other vaccines, the common side effects in some individuals could be a mild fever, pain, etc., at the site of injection. States have been asked to start making arrangements to deal with any Covid-19 vaccine-related side-effects as measures towards safe vaccine delivery among the masses.