The COVID-19 vaccine is given as an injection into your upper arm. It’s given as 2 doses.
It is recommended that the second dose of Covaxin® should be administered in the interval of 4 to 6 weeks from the date of 1st dose administration. For Covishield® the recommended interval was increased from 6 to 8 weeks to 12 to 16 weeks based on the recommendations of the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (NTAGI) on 13.05.2021. The Co-Win portal will only allow you to schedule your second dose for Covishield® only after 84 days after your first dose. You will have 2 doses of the same vaccine, although trials to check the efficacy of mixed dosage of vaccines are underway.
No. The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare accepted the recommendations by the National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration for COVID-19 (NEGVAC) on 19/05/2021. It states that there is no requirement for screening of the vaccine recipients by rapid antigen test (RAT) prior to COVID-19 vaccination.
Source: Ministry of Health and Family Welfare- GOI, PIB Press Release on New Recommendations of NEGVAC on COVID-19 Vaccination
We request you to rest at the vaccination centre for at least half an hour after taking the COVID-19 vaccine. Inform the nearest health authorities/ANM/ASHA in case you feel any discomfort or uneasiness subsequently. Remember to continue following key COVID-19 Appropriate Behaviours like wearing a mask, maintaining hand sanitization and physical distance (or 6 feet or Do Gaj).
Both vaccines need to be stored and transported at +2 to +8⁰ Celsius. The cold chain for both vaccines is maintained through active and passive cold chain equipment available at approximately 29000 cold chain points across India.
