NEW DELHI: Fact-sheets of both Covaxin and Covishield will be revised soon so that people on blood thinners like aspirin and clopidogrel can receive the vaccines, while those on anticoagulants may also take the shots with certain precautions, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) director general Dr Balram Bhargava said on Thursday.
Currently, fact-sheets of the vaccines mention use of blood thinner as contraindication. Though vaccination of people above 50 years is still some way off, questions were raised whether the blood thinner caveat will rule out many of these beneficiaries.
Dr Bhargava also said the indigenous Covaxin's response to the UK strain, seen to be more infectious, was as effective as against the virus circulating in India — a relief for health planners overseeing the vaccine drive.
Both Serum Institute of India, which manufactures Covishield, and Bharat Biotech — the developer and manufacturer of Covaxin — have approached the Drug Controller General of India seeking a rectification, Bhargava said. Those on blood thinners may experience a swelling at the injection site but not much more.
"Anti-platelets such as aspirin or clopidogrel are not a problem at all. For anticoagulants like heparin, those patients may have a tendency to bleed. There may be a risk of developing a local hematoma (swelling post-inoculation). It is a relative contraindication," he added, while specifying that even anticoagulants "can be stopped for one or two days".
According to the Covaxin fact-sheet, those who are on blood thinners — drugs that impede blood coagulation, both within blood vessels and in case of a bleed — or have bleeding disorders cannot get the shot. For Covishield, the fact-sheet asks potential recipients to inform their physicians in advance if they are on blood thinners, even though it is not directly contraindicated for them.