PremiumAccording to a recent media report, in answer to an RTI inquiry, ICMR and CDSCO acknowledged ‘multiple side-effects’ of COVID-19 vaccinations.
The Union Health Ministry has reiterated that only a small percentage of patients who receive the COVID-19 vaccine may develop serious adverse events depending on certain predisposing circumstances, refuting the reports of various side effects of the vaccine.
According to a recent media report, the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) and the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) have acknowledged "multiple side-effects of COVID-19 vaccines" in answer to an RTI inquiry. It is "erroneous information" that ICMR and CDSCO officials have reported several effects related to all COVID vaccinations, as per the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
"It is clarified that the news report is ill-informed and provides erroneous information," a statement from the ministry says.
In accordance with the proactive disclosure policy of the ministry that is in line with publicly-available, international-scientific data, ICMR responded to RTI's inquiries about the benefits and drawbacks of COVID-19 vaccines. The World Health Organization (WHO), the US Center for Disease Control (CDC) and the Ministry of Health have reputable websites that compile international evidence on various COVID-19 vaccines. According to the statement, the ICMR response merely provided links to those websites.
The Health Ministry warned that recipients of the various COVID-19 vaccines may experience moderate side effects, including soreness at the injection site, pain, headache, weariness, myalgia, malaise, pyrexia, chills, and arthralgia. According to certain predisposing factors, a very small number of people may very seldom develop severe adverse outcomes.
The benefits of the vaccines vastly outweigh any negative effects, according to the Union Health Ministry, which noted that international research studies have demonstrated that vaccination against COVID-19 has helped in reducing the severity of disease by preventing hospitalisations and deaths caused by COVID-19.
The National Technical Advisory Group on Immunization (NTAGI) in India has frequently assessed the advantages and risks of the COVID-19 vaccines used in India and has supported the aforementioned conclusions.
The total number of doses of the COVID-19 vaccine given so far under the statewide immunisation campaign, according to the ministry, is 220.17 crore, including 95.14 crore second doses and 22.46 crore precaution doses.
(With ANI inputs)