Give us choice of vaccine, say doctors

Some doctors are apprehensive of going in for Covaxin and they have demanded that the government give them the option to take Covishield.
A medic shows a Covishield vaccine vial (Photo | Ashish Krishna, EPS)
A medic shows a Covishield vaccine vial (Photo | Ashish Krishna, EPS)

BENGALURU: Some doctors are apprehensive of going in for Covaxin and they have demanded that the government give them the option to take Covishield.While Covishield is being distributed in 237 centres across districts, Covaxin is being given only in six centres in six districts. These doctors working in the six medical colleges, who have no option but to take Covaxin, have approached their respective district health centres, expressing their fears and citing safety concerns.

Ballari, Hassan, Chikkamagaluru, Shivamogga, Chamarajanagar and Davangere are the six districts where Covaxin is given in the government medical colleges --- Shivamogga Institute Of Medical Sciences (SIMS), Hassan Institute of Medical Sciences (HIMS), Vijayanagar Institute of Medical Sciences (VIMS) and Chamarajanagar Institute of Medical Sciences (CIMS).

Though Covaxin is approved by the Drug Controller General of India, some experts have raised concerns over the fact that the third phase trials are still under way.A senior resident doctor from Hassan Institute of Medical Sciences said, “On what basis has the government decided to give Covaxin only in six government medical colleges? We do not trust the efficacy of the vaccine and do not want it. The government should give us a choice.”

The doctors are also apprehensive over signing the consent form for Covaxin. They said that in the consent form, it was clearly stated that phase one and phase two of clinical trials had demonstrated results but phase 3 trials were under way and that clinical efficacy was yet to be established. So the doctors do not want to take this vaccine.

A senior doctor from Hassan Institute of Medical Sciences said, “We have been on Covid duty all these months and we are not getting the vaccination we want. This is nothing but injustice.”The Karnataka Association of Resident Doctors has written to Health Minister Dr K Sudhakar urging him to give them a choice of vaccine. They will submit the letter to him on Tuesday.Minister Sudhakar said, “Both Covishield and Covaxin have been cleared by the DCGI. Both are reliable. The healthcare workers can take Covaxin without any apprehensions.”

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