Hyderabad: Covidshield most preferred by foreign-bound aspirants

Hyderabad: Covishield is the first preference of citizens for Covid-19 vaccination against Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech's Covaxin. Most of them are showing keen interest to have a jab of Covishield. Foreign-bound aspirants especially are being administrated Covishield as many countries including the US have cleared that people who want to come to the US must take dose of Covishield.

People who are vaccinated with Covaxin earlier are confused whether the dose is effective or not. Even after having two jabs of Covaxin people also took a shot of Covishield on their own assuming that the vaccine is safe and approved by WHO. Covaxin was in demand earlier as the company was the first developer of India and trusted among doctors. Most of the frontline warriors had been administered Covaxin.

Covaxin jointly developed by ICMR and Bharat Biotech was approved by the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) in January, and has been in use since. It is yet to be approved by WHO for emergency use. However, the Covishield has been developed by Oxford University and Pune-based Serum Institute of India (SII) and known as AstraZeneca globally.

A large number of students from Telangana going abroad for higher studies are preferring Covishield. Exclusive vaccination facility centre at Institute of Preventive Medicine (IPM) Hyderabad has been set up. The vaccination process commenced here on July 5 and received a good response as more than 16,000 people got vaccinated in two months.

International vaccine Incharge Dr Prabhakar, speaking to Hans India said "Most of the aspirants were going to the USA and Canada. As both the countries have authorised Covishield jab for the foreign-bound students, we are administering Covishield only. We have completed the first dose and the second dose administration is on, with over 500 people being vaccinated here."

Strangely, the number of people for the second dose is higher than the first as the people who were vaccinated first dose at different centres earlier are getting vaccination of the second dose here as the gap between both doses is a little short here, Dr Prabhakar added.

Vaccination in-charge also informed that apart from Covid vaccination , regular immunisation for various diseases like TDPA, MMR, Hepatitis B, Yellow Fever, Typhoid, Influenza, Polio virus is being continued. As all the countries directed students to get specific vaccine before coming, South Africa directed the aspirants to get vaccinated against Yellow fever as it is dangerous and vaccination against Polio virus is must in the countries like Afghanistan, Iraq, Kenya, Pakistan, Equatorial Guinea, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Israel, Nigeria and Somalia.