[BoneCollector]

DGCI approves the Zydus-Cadila vaccine called ZyCoV-D for everyone above 12 years of age.

Link

[PhantomLord]

Originally Posted by BoneCollector

DGCI approves the Zydus-Cadila vaccine called ZyCoV-D for everyone above 12 years of age.

Link

Another experimental(first DNA vaccine?) Vaccine, skip the needle-free PR and wait for data on kids

See August 3 NDTV https://www.instagram.com/tv/CSGVSoDl_Py/

[any23]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

I'll take whatever's going!

That is, equally, a measure of my faith in the vaccine and my lack of faith in it!

https://youtu.be/vYQxxhfVdQ4

https://www.drbeen.com/main/?_ga=2.1...624.1629716701

I have got both doses of Covaxin, thank you to the system to make it mandatory indirectly by the employer.

I was of the view to stay protected by following social distancing, wearing good quality N95 mask, and not venturing out in public unless it's very necessary. As far as getting vaccinated is concerned, i would have waited a little more to get some more data on vaccines, there have been news articles stating that vaccinated may be more at risk of getting severely sick.

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...w/85514954.cms
the same news was in HT, BusinessStandards.

Moreover I have shared the links of a channel that i follow to keep updated regarding Covid-19.

I am in full support of vaccination, but remember the vaccines got only Emergency Use authorization and nobody is liable in case anything goes wrong with the recipient. ALL IN ALL IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO MAKE A FULLY INFORMED DECISION.


Vaccinate the people at risk and open everything, this virus is a fast mutating virus and there will be no sure shot vaccine for the same, like the common cold/flu virus.

[Torque_Curve]

Here's my vaccine experience with Pharmeasy as a vaccination center. This might be helpful to fellow BHPians hence the informative and detailed post:

As I had contracted Covid back in April (was asymptomatic and recovered as of 1 May). This meant that I couldn't take the vaccine till approximately 1st week of August. Nonethless, I kept visiting the cowin website to book appointments for friends and family. I thought that by the time I need to get an appointment for myself, I'd have mastered the art. Oh boy, was I wrong!

Don't get me wrong, I managed to book a total of about 50 appointments (friends and family) in a span of 3 months, but I was finding it tough for myself as I wanted to go ahead with Sputnik. The reason behind Sputnik being the (arguably) better efficacy, easier availability (haha, not so much after all), and most importantly, the shorter interval between two doses that would aid my travel process (work-related).

I could see fairly good availability for Sputnik just a week before I had to book an appointment, but I don't know what happened later. Slots went full left, right, and center! I made up my mind to get it done anyhow, and booked and appointment in Pune, even if it meant travelling a few 100 kms to and fro. Meanwhile, I got my anti-body test done and since it was much higher than normal, I was advised to take the shot in August and not last week of July (84-90 days per se).

While checking the slot notification window on telegram (yes, there are subscriptions that notify you of slot availability in your region, based on the choice of vaccine (atleast that was the case with Mumbai/Navi Mumbai/Thane back then). There was a ticker on top that said Pharmeasy offers vaccination at two centers in Mumbai, (both, at their offices in Ghatkopar and Bandra). I signed up on the website and almost booked an appointment, but held back for the moment since I wasn't sure how credible they are. Ended up checking with my friend and a fellow BHPian whose batchmate works with Dr Reddy's (authorised to supply Sputnik in India) and received a confirmation that the same batchmate got the jab at the Ghatkopar centre itself. A sigh of relief later, registered to get the shot in the upcoming weekend. Registration et al was simple, the only confusing thing was the lack of an option to head to the particular vaccination page from the brand's official website.

Pharmeasy has divided the slots into dose 1 and dose 2, and depending upon availability, they also offer covishield. I booked an appointment for a slot between 11am and 12pm on 1 August. Reached there at 10.55 and was pleasantly surprised to see a nice and fairly clean parking lot (a must for us BHPians, right?) Situated on the first floor, you're greeted by a registration desk, where one has to check for your name in a list and sign next to it. Next up, they check and confirm your credentials with the ones filled on the site. Once done, you're handed a form to fill (attaching an image below) along with a token number. You get into their corporate office and sit at the work desks while you wait your chance. They were experiencing some network issues that particular day and hence there were a good number of people lined up waiting to get their jab. The form handed over to you has to be filled by yourself or the nurse sitting at one of the tables there, followed by which you have to make the payment (they accept cash and GPay). Gpay was a bit glitchy for me but the guy sitting at the payment counter took me into confidence that if he receives double payment, a simple call to the said number is all that's required for a refund of the excess amount. Since there was a delay from their side to administer vaccines, they were kind enough to offer water and tea to everyone waiting. There were 3-4 rooms where one person each could get a jab at one time. Once the technical issue was resolved, things sped up and I was done with the jab in about 10 minutes. They check your id proof here so don't forget that (they were kind enough to accept a soft copy when I forgot to carry the hard-copy during the second dose though).
They have multiple small cubicles (kinda like the office meeting rooms) where 4 people can wait at a time until the mandatory half an hour wait period is up. The nurse that administers you the jab also writes the entry and exit time on the paper token and it has to be handed over to security before you leave. They also have a small photo cut-out sort of thing for those who don't want to miss a celebratory photo-op.


The form that has to be filled up with requisite details


The small waiting cubicles and the desk where people wait



Photo-op anyone?



The parking for bikes as well as cars

I had a slight fever the following night and a real bad headache that had me getting up thrice in the night (real bad for someone lime me who can otherwise sleep through an earthquake). After breakfast the next day, I was back to normal. Surprisingly, I didn't have any pain or heaviness in the arm except for the first 5 minutes after taking the jab.

Booking the appointment for the second dose was rather flawless too. Since I had no visible effect during the day when I took the first dose, I decided to travel by bike for a change. As last time, parking was good and the so was the overall experience. I reached a bit late this time, 11.50 for a 11-12 slot, but the experience was good and I was in and out within an hour (including the mandatory half an hour waiting). Got the message confirming my vaccination within 2 minutes of taking the jab.

TLDR:

Pharmeasy charges Rs. 1,350 for a single shot, which is about 200 more than the government prescribed rate.
Is it illegal? I'm not sure, but BHPians are free to pitch in on this.
Did I have a good experience? Yes!
Will I recommend it to others? If you're in or around Mumbai and want a shot of Sputnik, absolutely!
Reliable service backed by friendly folks, just make sure you're fine paying the extra dough.
This reminds me, they've also launched this service in Delhi and Gujarat.
For people wanting to go this week, I checked with them in person yesterday for a friend and they said they're outta stock for the first dose of Sputnik until September.

For those of you wanting to go through them, here's the link:
https://pharmeasy.in/covid/getvaccinated


P.S. I am not related to Pharmeasy in anyway. This post is purely for the benefit of BHPians and readers alike.

[Samba]

Originally Posted by Samba

I took Sputnik V 1st dose on 28th July and my dad took the Sputnik V 2nd dose today.

No side-effects as of now. Only minor pain at the point of injection has been experienced by both of us.

Took the 2nd dose on 19th August from AMRI Dhakuria, Kolkata.
A very well organized place. Parking was available just in front of the hospital. It might get full after 10 am. I reached by 9-20 am. The whole process took just 30 minutes. It was smooth.

The very next day I felt a bit of body ache with headache and felt a bit feverish, but there was no temperature. The pain at the prick point was there for a couple of days. Rest all good.

[KSPatil]

I got my second dose of Covaxin from Apollo Hospital, Belapur, arrangements were better than before, was done within 30 minutes. I was slightly feverish on the second day but unlike the first dose no pain.
You need to carry your first vaccine certificate (downloaded copy) to get the second vaccine, the vaccine cost me 1410 rupees. Apollo also gives you a printout of your vaccination certificate.

[Prafful_Rathod]

I took my second dose of Covishield last Friday at Rainbow School (Thane) which was organised in association with Jupiter hospital.

I must say the initial hiccups seem to be sorted out now on Cowin app and even the crowd is receding. I booked my appointment for 11 AM, walked in to the centre at sharp 11 and filled up a form, paid money, took a shot all in 10 minutes and after mandatory half an hour waiting I was back home by 11:55.

The private centres are also seem to be getting their act in place now as far as vaccination is concerned and hopefully large section of our population will be vaccinated (atleast one dose) by the end of this year.

[autospass]

I wanted to share my experience of completing both the doses of Covishield vaccination under 18-44 age category :

1st Dose - I was in the NCR during the second wave and was able to get a time slot for both self and wife on 11th May at a PHC near Faridabad. Booking the slot through Arogya Setu was a horrendous ordeal and my wife's fastest finger first capability helped us finally get the slot after various attempts being made for 4-5 days. It was a smooth sail afterwards- seamless vaccination experience at the PHC owing to a well operated program. While being vaccinated we did not feel a thing and my wife actually questioned the staff whether you have vaccinated me . All her doubts got cleared when soreness in the arms started in about 2-3 hours for the both of us , followed with mild headache for me and full blown fever in the night for my wife. The situation lasted for about 2 days before the life coming back to normal for both of us. Wifey had to take 2-3 doses of Dolo650 , while one tablet of the same medicine was good enough for me.

2nd Dose- Since we returned to Hyderabad in June itself ; having the overall situation with vaccination supply been improved, this time I was able to easily book slots for 3rd August at Rainbow-Oakridge CVC in the Gachibowli area. Vaccination experience was even better than the previous one, sans the fact that “sting” was more painful than the previous one (Maybe the staff at PHC were more trained in inoculation exercise? ).On the flip side, we did not feel any side effects -extremely mild pain/soreness in the arm and absolutely no fever or headache.

Feeling confident after 4 weeks of the second dose, and I am now itching to hit the road and plan for some family vacations (Afcourse, will continue to follow all the covid appropriate behaviors especially at public places)

[Gansan]

I took my son to the Dr.Rela Institute yesterday for his second dose of Covishield. We were in and out in less than 30 minutes. There were only about six or seven people at any given time to get vaccinated, though there was a constant trickle in and out. Paid Rs 780.00 and had booked in advance.

Vaccination has become noticeably easier now, compared to when my wife and I got our second shot in June at the same place. At that time there were a lot more people waiting and we spent about two hours, though everything was streamlined. And getting a shot in any government camp was really a hit or miss because of the limited doses arriving everyday. Many pvt hospitals had stopped vaccination due to influx of Covid patients.

Now one can go to any of the government hospitals or camps in schools, and get a shot with a little bit of waiting. More doses arrive everyday. Even Covaxin, though less than Covishield. Also three more private hospitals apart from Rela have resumed vaccinations in our local area, which has eased crowding to a great extent. Which must be the case all over the city.

My son has mild fever and joint pain, though a lot less when compared to the first dose.

[DetonatoR]

Good to see the progress made in vaccination in the past two months, hope this continues and we don't see another dangerous variant!

I had my first dose of Covaxin from Fortis Shalimar Bagh, New Delhi (paid) on 5th June. The overall experience was a mixed bag. Although they had demarcated a separate area for vaccination, the entrance was through the main hospital gate. Even after booking the slot online, I had to fill another form. Nonetheless, the vaccination process in itself was pretty straightforward. One thing that I didn't like was that they were not strictly following the 30-min post-vaccination observation period and saw that most of the people left after waiting for just 10-15 mins. Encountered no major post-vaccination side effects just some sleepiness for two days.

I took the second shot at a Government school in Rohini (free) on 5th July and the experience here was much better. I walked in straight into a classroom and after verifying my appointment slot got vaccinated within 5 minutes. The observation room was another classroom and there was a mandatory waiting period of 30 mins before you were allowed to leave. It wasn't crowded as well with only one other person was waiting. This could be because at that time the Delhi government was only allowing the second shot of Covaxin and it was also a weekday. This time the sleepiness happened for just one day.

An interesting although not a comforting observation is that I got checked for the IgG antibody today and the result came out as negative. The lab used the Vitros Anti-SARS-Cov-2 IgG test where a value of less than 1 S/Co signifies that the specimen is non-reactive for antibodies. My antibody count came out as 0.41 S/Co. Now I understand that the immune response is a complex process and the lack of this specific antibody does not automatically mean I do not have any immunity against the virus, still the result was disappointing!

[am1m]

Just got done with my second dose of Covishield after the 12-week gap. Was at a private hospital and paid. Place was empty, one more person walked in just as we were leaving. Hardly took 10-15 mins. They didn't ask us to wait or anything after, so probably not many people reporting any reactions post the second dose.

Looking at the number of slots still available, at least at paid facilities like this one, perhaps it is time for the government to reduce the gap for covishield doses to 8-weeks. That particular hospital is geared up to administer 500 first doses and 500 second doses a day and there are still 400-odd slots in each category available today. That availability can certainly be used better. Broadcast the availability in nearby villages and run special buses for people to come and get vaccinated maybe. Shift the doses to a place that is seeing a bigger rush. All possibilities I think to increase the pace of vaccination overall.

Was about to post how great cowin has been for the past few months, but when I tried to log in today to download my certificate, the site was inaccessible because of a security certificate error. Anyway that should be fixed soon I guess.

Nevertheless, the website and the whole process seem to be streamlined now (at least for people like us with the resources to pay and choose where we can get the vaccine and are online all the time!). So definite improvement.

Questions about efficacy aside, another 2 weeks and looking forward to being able to travel across states without any rt-pcr requirement nonsense!

[Bhupesh_2628]

Got 2nd dose of Covishield on 11 September at Max Hospital, Patparganj, East Delhi.

Due to less crowd as it was a rainy day, here's how it went:

1) Straight to billing counter & paid Rs. 780. Walk-in.
2) Got vaccinated in next building & waited till 20 minutes after that.
3) Went home & there was slight uneasiness (lethargic feeling) & slight pain on arm till next day.
4) Downloaded Final certificate same day from Aarogya Setu app.

[Chetan_Rao]

Originally Posted by am1m

...

Was about to post how great cowin has been for the past few months, but when I tried to log in today to download my certificate, the site was inaccessible because of a security certificate error.

Same. Never faced issues (esp. the dreaded OTP delay), but would you have it, it acted up the one moment I needed it urgently (hospital wanted to see proof of first dose and the 4 digit code). Had to wait 15 mins for it to start working again. Certificate downloaded for future reference.

...Questions about efficacy aside, another 2 weeks and looking forward to being able to travel across states without any rt-pcr requirement nonsense!

Have all states waived testing requirements for fully vaccinated people? A bit counter-intuitive, given vaccinated people can still be carriers?

[deathwalkr]

My wife got her second shot today and having booked a slot from 9AM-10AM, she was 6th in line at a reputed private hospital's clinic here, went inside at 09.30AM, paid the fee and was then asked to wait!

Apparently the vaccines were en route, but in the meantime the person at the billdesk did his job and submitted all the details and she got her certificate and sms within 5 minutes!

On the certificate, vaccine time was 09.39 but actual time of the shot was around 10.10.

Sigh

[am1m]

Originally Posted by Chetan_Rao

Have all states waived testing requirements for fully vaccinated people?

I think most have, not completely sure but most seem to have stated that a final vaccination certificate is enough.

Originally Posted by Chetan_Rao

A bit counter-intuitive, given vaccinated people can still be carriers?

True. Anyway, this maze of travel restrictions and equally rampant exemptions were never going to do anything to really contain the spread of covid, it was just about showing that the people in charge were doing 'something'.