More than 75 per cent of people, who complained of adverse effects following immunization against Covid-19 virus in Jharkhand, were residents of Ranchi, data collected by the National Health Mission (NHM) reveals.
“Most of the people who complained of adverse effects after vaccination only suffered from minor pain. We have not reported any case of severe adverse effects following immunization in the State,” said the nodal officer for vaccination programme, Dr. Ajit Prasad. He, however, could not state a scientific reason behind the higher number of incidents of adverse effects following immunization reported in Ranchi.
As per records with the NHM, as many as 193 people have complained of adverse effects following immunization in Jharkhand and at least 145 of them were residents of Ranchi. So far, Covishied shots have been administered to 24,000 residents of Jharkhand and 1774 of them got the shots in Ranchi, NHM figures state. None of the remaining 23 districts have administered the shots to more than 1500 people.
Some doctors believe that psychological barriers may also be playing a role in making people feel dizzy or unwell after vaccination. Also, residents of Ranchi had more access to information online and therefore the fear of vaccination could also be higher in them, doctors said.
Dr. Siddharth Sinha, a senior resident at Ranchi Institute of Neuro-Psychiatry and Allied Sciences (RINPAS), said that every vaccination has some or the other mild side effect. However, people suffering from anxiety disorders might exaggerate their symptoms while talking to doctors after vaccination and even feel an aggravation in their symptoms.
“When you are already anxious about taking the vaccine shots, your mind might trick you to feel adverse symptoms triggered by anxiety,” said Dr. Sinha, adding that the fear of taking the vaccine shots was evident in many sects of the society and many people were reluctant to get the vaccine shots until they are sure of not having to face any side effects.
Dr. Nishant Goyal, associate professor at Central Institute of Psychiatry (CIP) said that every vaccination centre should also include a psychiatrist for addressing psychological issues among people who get vaccinated. “Professionals with expertise in addressing anxiety and counseling the beneficiaries should be appointed for each vaccination centre,” said Goyal, adding that the people who were counseling the beneficiaries at the vaccination centres were not trained psychotherapists.
As per figures compiled by NHM, Jharkhand has achieved 60 per cent of its vaccination target so far by administering Covishield shots to 24,000 of 40,245 beneficiaries registered for immunization. As per the government protocol, every person who is administered the Covishield vaccine is kept under observation for at least 30 minutes. Their blood pressure levels, heart rate and pulse are monitored for 30 minutes to check any abnormality and address it, doctors said.
Dr. Vijay Mishra, who got the Covishield shot on Day 1 of vaccination at Sadar Hospital in Ranchi, clarified that he did not feel any side effects after the immunization and was doing well even 12 days later.