Nagpur: Two senior doctors at Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) and suffering from heart ailments took Covaxin shots on Tuesday amid heightened concerns after its manufacturer issued warning that people with bleeding disorders or who are on blood thinners need not take the vaccine, which is still in its third phase of trial.
Professor and head of community medicine department Dr Uday Naralwar and associate professor at pharmacology department Dr Vijay Motghare, both of whom are on single anti-platelet drugs, took the Covaxin shots. They didn’t report any issues afterwards.
Dr Naralwar said anti-platelet drugs like aspirin and clopidogrel are not even considered as blood thinners and don’t show any contraindications.
On Tuesday, officials at GMCH, which is an exclusive centre for Covaxin inoculation, received many calls from patients taking anti-platelet and anti-coagulants.
Queries were also from many of the 5,200 GMCH staff members, who said they were now apprehensive about taking anti-Covid vaccination as they are taking blood thinners.
Top doctors had a field day in clearing the doubts that not all heart patients or those taking these drugs need to avoid anti-Covid vaccination.
They said only anti-coagulants like heparin and warfarin show contraindications to immunization.
The ministry of health and family welfare (MOHFW), in its January 14 advisory, didn’t rule out vaccination for people with heart ailments. “In fact, cardiac, renal and cancer patients fall under comorbid category and must take the vaccination on priority in case they are not using anticoagulants with contraindications,” they said.
GMCH associate professor of medicine Dr Dipti Chand, who is adverse event following immunization (AEFI) committee chairperson, told TOI that as per MOHFW guidelines, special precautions are to be taken in patients with coagulation disorders These disorders include clotting factor deficiency, coagulopathy or platelet disorder.
Regarding patients on anti-platelet drugs, certain important factors need to be checked before their vaccination. “Assessment of clinical condition, need for anti-platelet drug and anti-Covid vaccine can only tell if a person can go for the jab. We have to take a calculated risk. I feel an intramuscular injection for a stable patient on a single anti-platelet drug is not much of a risk,” she said.
Dr Chand warned that those on anti-coagulation drug like warfarin and heparin must strictly avoid the jab. “Usually, these drugs are given only when someone has a major condition. Someone who has had a recent infarction or clot in the heart or had a recent stroke/attack and is on dual anti-platelet drugs should avoid vaccination,” she said.
Those who are on a single drug like either aspirin or clopidogrel do not face any major issue of local haematoma formation, she added.
“Those patients having low platelet count and coagulation disorders or are on anticoagulants like heparin, warfarin, or NOAC drugs or having coagulopathy because of liver dysfunction have chances of forming a local haematoma as blood gets collected where the injection has been given,” she explained.
High risk patients on dual anti-platelet pills may go for anti-Covid vaccination after consultation with their physician and stopping the drugs about 5-7 days before the vaccination and restarting thereafter, she added.