Since vaccines are the only hope against the covid disease, everyone wants to get covid vaccine as early as possible. Addition to this fact there is a shortage of vaccines at many places. People are not getting appointments for the vaccine nor are they able to find the same brand of vaccine they have taken for the first dose. ‘Can I take a vaccine in another state?’ is the most important thing we are currently facing from the patients.
So latest discuss this important issue in this blog post so that it will solve most of your queries.
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Are you planning to travel?
Though there is a lockdown in many states of India, you are allowed to travel for emergency reasons. In such cases you need to get an epass and RT PCR negative test report.
You need to confirm the legal requirements before travelling in such conditions. You need to comply with those legal conditions.
Please make sure you have all the necessary documents so that you won’t face any difficulty during your trip.
Have you got stuck because of a lockdown?
Many people may have got stuck in the places they are currently staying because of a lockdown. Many people have gotten their first dose of vaccine in their state and now they are finding it difficult to get the vaccine in the state where they are staying now.
The shortage of vaccines is creating a great problem for those who have taken vaccines in another state.
Are you planning to travel for vaccines?
As we know there is a shortage of vaccines in many places of India. Sometimes some brands are available in some States but they are not available in another state.
In some places there is no awareness about vaccination so people are not consuming the available doses. In some States people are totally aware about vaccinations. In such a place there is a huge queue for the vaccination.
In such a state many people are thinking of visiting their hometown to get vaccinated. Getting vaccinated may be an easier task in your home town.
So like you many people are thinking of traveling to get vaccinated in their hometown.
Shortage of vaccines in most places?
Before taking any decision to travel for vaccines you should remember that there is a shortage at many places.
You may travel to get vaccinated in another state or another town and you may realise that there is the similar problem.
So before travelling you should confirm that the vaccine is available at the place you are visiting.
Is shortage of vaccines making people travel?
If the people start traveling to other states for the vaccination it will create a big problem for all of us.
While traveling there is a risk of getting covid infection so there is a lockdown.
All of us should comply with the lock down rules and shouldn’t travel during the period of lockdown.
If people start travelling for the vaccines in the log down then the log down may fail.
This will lead to the disease getting continued without any restrictions and we will lose many more people. So travelling for vaccine is highly discouraged, we don’t recommend that.
Effect of lockdown on vaccination?
Government has created a simplified procedure to get vaccinated. You can get an appointment for vaccination on the Cowin website with your necessary I card like an Aadhar card.
Rather than lockdown we have a shortage of vaccines and that is the big problem.
How does the vaccine work?
To know whether you can get vaccinated in another state, we should know the function of the vaccine. To analyse the fact you should first know how the vaccines work.
In simple words the vaccines train your immunity to fight against the real covid virus. Vaccines are either live or inactivated vaccines.
Live vaccines when injected they actually infected you like the real virus. Your body induces an immune reaction against them and gets trained to fight. When the real infection occurs your body fights very effectively against it and you are protected from the disease.
In case of inactivated vaccines, these vaccines do not infect you. When you are injected with an inactivated vaccine your body recognizes its protein as foreign protein and fights against it. These proteins are similar to the real virus proteins. So in simple words your immunity trained with the vaccines to fight against the real virus.
How can I take vaccines in different states?
In all the states of India the procedure of getting vaccinated is the same. You need to register on the Cowin website. You will get an appointment at the designated centre for the vaccination.
You need to take a second dose of the vaccine after the recommended duration from the first dose. Currently this duration between two doses for Covishield vaccines is 3 months and for Covaxin vaccines it is minimum 45 days.
Will I get the same brand of vaccine?
Government it usually declares which band is available at which centres. You should also make sure you keep the certificate of your first dose while going for the second dose.
On the certificate it is mentioned the day and the brand of vaccination you have got for the first dose.
You should get the same brand of vaccine for your second dose.
What about certification of vaccines?
Getting a certificate after the vaccination is an equally important task. In future if you are going to travel you need this certificate of vaccination at many places you are going to visit.
To visit many states and different countries you need to have your vaccination certificate and rt-pcr negative test.
Currently only certifying authority is the Cowin website. After getting your vaccine dose you receive an SMS on your registered phone number. From that link you can download your vaccination certificate.
You should download that vaccination certificate and keep it with you, in case you need it in future.
What are the precautions?
While going for vaccination you need to take some precautions. Those precautions are as follows:
- Wear your mask for the entire duration you have gone for the vaccination.
- Keep your head sanitizer with you and use it whenever needed.
- Maintain social distancing when you go to vaccination.
- Maintain cleanliness at the vaccination centres. Throw the disposable only in designated dustbins.
- Take medicines after vaccination as suggested by the doctor at the vaccination centre.
- Report if you are on any medication or you have any disease before vaccination.
- Report if you have covid like symptoms before vaccination.
- It is recommended to take a vaccine after 3 months of recovering from covid disease.
- Report if you have any allergy.
Is mixing of vaccines allowed?
Mixing of the vaccines is also called mix and match of the vaccines. It is getting vaccine of another band at the time of the second dose.
Theoretically it is possible to mix the vaccine. Yet the effect of mixing vaccines has not been studied and it is not known whether it is good and effective.
As the necessary data about mixing of the vaccine is lacking, it is strictly recommended to take the same brand for the second dose of the vaccine.
Getting a vaccine in another state?
Yes you can get a second dose of vaccine in another state provided you get the same brand of vaccine for the second dose.
Please make sure of all the precautions you take while getting the second dose of the vaccine.
I hope your doubts are clear by this blog post if you have any further doubt you can comment in the comment section.