Hyderabad: Apollo Spectra Hospital Kondapur Hyderabad organised a Covid-19 vaccination drive for its doctors recently. The surgery speciality hospital that has an expertise in elective surgeries in the field of general, orthopaedic, ENT, urology besides many more and has been on the forefront of fighting the on-going pandemic.

During the vaccination drive organised by the government a total of 123 doctors and healthcare workers were given the Covishield vaccine.  With all the safety guidelines in place, Apollo Spectra is making it possible for patients to fight the paranoia created about visiting hospitals.  Once again the hospital and the doctors have set an example for the patients with this vaccination drive amidst the prevailing doubt and myths about the new vaccine.

The Covid-19 pandemic had brought the whole world on a pause but with the new vaccine, human life is slowly getting back to normal. The vaccination drives are being organised for the doctors and frontline workers first as they have been at the forefront of fighting the virus and restoring normalcy.

About Apollo Spectra Hospital:

As a specialty hospital, Apollo Spectra gives you the advantage of expert and quality healthcare with all the benefits of a large hospital but in a friendlier, more accessible facility. This is what makes us unique. With 15 centers across 11 cities – Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Gurugram, Jaipur, Kanpur, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Gwalior, Patna and Pune, over 1,30,000+ successful surgeries with excellent clinical outcomes, and over 900+ leading doctors, Apollo Spectra Hospitals continue to set new standards in healthcare services. Advanced technologies, world-class infrastructure and the best of doctors all come together to deliver personalized care enabling faster recovery with near-zero infection risk. Our easy admission and discharge ensure a hassle-free experience for our patients. This is why patients across the country place their trust in us.

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With the largest inoculation vaccine drive that started on Saturday, India has successfully administered the first jab of vaccine to lakhs of frontline workers. Two made-in-India vaccines, Covishield and Covaxin were administered to priority groups in the past two days. Thousands of people in Karnataka received their first shot while others are awaiting their turn.

India which had seen a severe virus outbreak has rolled out the vaccine at the earliest among the other Asian countries. The vaccine has come as a sigh of relief for people and could aid in ending the COVID trauma experienced by people over the last 10 months.

Let’s understand all about the COVID-19 vaccination drive in India:

• There are two made-in-India vaccines, Covishield, manufactured by Serum Institute and Covaxin, made by Bharat Biotech.
• Two doses will be injected within a gap of 28 days, the effectiveness will begin 14 days after the second dose.
• The vaccine has been introduced only after approval from the regulatory bodies. The authorities are making sure that the vaccines are kept at 2-8 degree Celsius during transit and storage.
• Possible side-effects include pain at the injection site, mild fever, fatigue, allergies, nausea, etc which can be relieved by simple medication.
• People with a previous history of Covid-19 infection, chronic diseases and comorbidities, immunodeficiency or HIV are considered safe to receive the vaccine.
• The vaccine will be given to 1 Crore private and public healthcare workers followed by 2 crore frontline administrative and municipal workers and people above the age of 50 years.
• Those who wish to register for the vaccine can do the same through CoWIN website using a government photo ID. Information on the allocated date and time will be sent to the given mobile number via an SMS

The recipients of the vaccine have been found to be safe without much side effects so far. While this vaccine administration is voluntary, it is recommended to take the vaccine for protection against COVID-19. Also, it is mandatory to wear mask and follow the COVID protocols like social distancing and washing or sanitising hands even after the vaccine has been administered.

India has the capability and experience in conducting massive vaccination drives in the past, the ongoing drive will also continue in the same manner with the support of the frontline workers and government officials. During these unprecedented times, the rollout of vaccination drive will certainly be a boon for the country in terms of effective health infrastructure and economic recovery.

Over 750 hospital staff at Columbia Asia Hospital Whitefield, Columbia Asia Referral Hospital Yeshwanthpur, Columbia Asia Hospital Hebbal and Columbia Asia Hospital Sarjapur Road received their first jab with pride and a sense of relief in the vaccination drive held in the past two days.

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COVID-19 which is caused by the virus named SARS-COV-2, originated from China and quickly spread across the globe. WHO recognized it as a Pandemic which has till today infected 24 million people worldwide and more than 822  thousand deaths. In India it is spreading wider and till now about 3.31 M million people are infected and nearly 60,472  people have lost their lives.(Till  August 27th)

It is a dreaded disease and the whole world is looking for a vaccine to treat the COVID-19 effectively and control the spread of the disease. While many companies are in the race to produce a vaccine, few have already gone into various phases of human trials. Moderna’s mRNA-1273 and Oxford-AstraZeneca’s Covid vaccine are ahead and have proven the safety and efficacy of the vaccine.

So now that we know, the vaccines are definitely on the way, the world will face a different kind of challenges. Few of the challenges which I see are:

1. Avoiding counterfeited vaccines :

Fake Vaccines! Yes, COVID-19 is a dreaded pandemic and everyone is looking forward for a vaccine. Thanks to Serum Institute of India and Adar Poonawalla that we have already started the production of COVID-19 vaccine in the name of Covishield for India and the world.

2. Vaccine distribution:

Covishield is not a Routine Vaccine. The world will need billions of doses to be manufactured in order for the vaccine to be available in all parts of the World, thankfully Serum Institute of India is one of the only few companies in the world to have the capability to manufacture this volume of doses. GAVI too has tie-up with UPS. UPS has committed a US$ 3 million in new funding and in-kind logistics support spanning two years, provided by UPS and The UPS Foundation to Gavi. This initiative will help COVID-19 vaccine’s equitable and timely distribution. However, India will still need its own logistics in order for the vaccine to reach to everyone. We must ensure it is accessible to each person in India.

3. Surveillance during Vaccination and monitoring and follow-up for upcoming doses

Monitoring of people who would have received the vaccine is extremely crucial for us to monitor people who would have received the vaccine, in order to ensure they also receive the follow up dose and how are they doing in the long run after receiving the vaccine.

While it is a great thing that vaccine will be available soon, but we should be prepared for a long wait as well. The initial supplies will be extremely limited and the frontline health-care professionals will get the first access followed by those people who are vulnerable to serious illness. To make this vaccine reach each and everyone, India will have to work hand in hand with other nations.

Also Read: INDIA CASES INCH CLOSER TO 3 MILLION ; VACCINE BY END OF THIS YEAR

Mr. Neeraj Mehta
CEO- Immunifyme

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