Covid-19 vaccine FAQs: Know all about cost, dose gap, nearest centre, eligibility

As the country gradually recovers from the devastating second wave of Covid-19, the Centre is making all efforts to ensure that they can vaccinate as many people as possible.

Here are the answers to some frequently asked questions (FAQs) about Covid-19 vaccines in India:

What is the cost of Covid-19 vaccines in India?

Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently announced that the Centre will buy 75 per cent of the vaccines for free supply to states. Private hospitals will procure 25 per cent of the vaccines at a price cap on service charges of Rs 150 per dose.

Now, the revised price of the vaccine, including five per cent GST, at private hospitals for Covishield is Rs 780, Covaxin is Rs 1,410, and Sputnik V is Rs 1,145.

Free Covid-19 vaccination for everyone above 18 years will start from June 21.

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What is the gap between two doses of vaccine?

Earlier, the government had increased the gap between the doses of Covishield from 4-6 weeks to 12-16 weeks, while the Covaxin doses are still four weeks apart.

According to experts, the decision has been taken after observing the effectiveness of the first dose of both vaccines. "It has been seen that the first dose of Covishield results in a great deal of protection, which can stay around 12 weeks. But you do not achieve a similar kind of protection after the first dose of Covaxin. It is only after both the doses of Covaxin are administered that the protection reaches optimum level," Dr Balram Bhargava, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) chief, told Hindustan Times.

The two doses of Russian vaccine Sputnik V are administered 21 days apart.

How you can find the nearest vaccination centre?

Finding the closest vaccination centre near you is a simple two-step process.

Open Google Maps on your device and type in “COVID vaccination near me”. Once it opens up a list of places for you, tap on “See location info” to know about the operating hours, contact number and directions to the centre.

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When should you take the vaccine after recovering from Covid-19?

According to government guidelines, one should take the Covid-19 vaccine only after three months of recovering from the infection.

Dr Rajeev Boudhankar, CEO-Bhatia Hospital Mumbai, told The Indian Express that the gap between the doses depends on the kind of Covid-19 treatment. He said, “If you are treated with monoclonal antibodies or convalescent plasma, it is best to wait for 90 days before getting vaccinated. This avoids interference of the antibody therapy with vaccine-induced immune response.”

Who should not get the Covid-19 vaccine?

There is considerable debate on whether pregnant women should get the Covid-19 vaccine. Dr Soumya Swaminathan, chief scientist with the World Health Organization (WHO), explains, "So, in situations where there is a lot of Covid-19 transmission in the country and a woman is exposed to it, or if she's in a profession like a healthcare worker or a frontline worker where she's at especially high risk of acquiring the infection, the benefits of getting the vaccine definitely outweigh the risks.”

India has already started conducting trials of the Covid-19 vaccine on children below 18 years.

People with immediate or delayed-onset anaphylaxis or allergic reaction to vaccines or injectable therapies, pharmaceutical products or food items are not allowed to get the vaccine.

The Covishield vaccine is advised to be given with caution to people with thrombocytopenia.

Apart from that, people who had an anaphylactic or allergic reaction to the Covid-19 vaccine during trials are advised to not take the vaccine.