Bhubaneswar: Even though the COVID-19 vaccination drive will start January 16 all over India, the Centre has issued guidelines as to who will receive the shots and who won’t. As per the guidelines people aged below 18 years, pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers will not be given vaccine shots in the first phase of vaccination.
Odisha’s Health and Family Welfare Department Director and Vaccine In-charge Bijay Panigrahi said that pregnant women and lactating mothers will not get the vaccine jab. People with ailments and those who have been hospitalised will also not be vaccinated now.
The top official also informed that vaccination of people with active symptoms of coronavirus will be deferred by four to eight weeks. Similarly those who have shown allergic to other vaccines in the past will also not be injected with the COVID-19 vaccine.
The state health ministry has also launched an awareness campaign to inform people about the adverse effects of COVID-19 vaccination. It said those getting the jab may develop symptoms like headache, fatigue, fever, body ache, nausea, and cough and cold.
PNN