Fact Check : Doctor’s Diary On Covaxin Side Effects?

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Is an Indian doctor’s diary and advice on the side effects of the Covaxin vaccine genuine?

Take a look at the viral post on Covaxin side effects, and what the FACTS really are!

 

Doctor’s Diary On Covaxin Side Effects : A Viral Sensation

An Indian doctor’s diary on the Covaxin vaccine’s side effects, and his advice on how to deal with them, has gone viral on social media…

What’s amazing is that it’s gone viral even in countries where the Covaxin vaccine, is not, and will likely never be available!

A doctor’s report from his diary on his own health after receiving Covaxin vaccination

(Save for your reference till vaccination is done)

Diary for 2 days

I got my self vaccinated today (25/01/2021) at 11:25 am, on the left upper side of the arm. I had no side effects till 10:30 pm.

I had my dinner at 8:00 pm and I was all fine till 10:30 pm with no side effects, I went to bed around the same time. At 11:30 pm, while I was still lying in the bed, pain started at the vaccination site, which wasn’t before. I had a slight chill and my temperature started rising, at 12:30 am. I measured my temperature and I was having 99.4*F. As expected, along with the temperature started the rest of the side effects. I had bodyache, warmness in my eyes, neck pain. Pain at the vaccination site became worse and I also had slight choking in my throat.

Throughout the night I was restless, could not sleep much, my temperature at 2:00 am was 100.4*F. I kept myself observing closely.

I was happy though, as all these side effects indicated that the vaccination was successful and my body is giving robust response.

26/01/2021

I slept around 4:00 am got up at 6:00 am, feeling drained, my temperature was again 100.4*F at 6:30 am. Throughout the day I had fever ranging between (99.7*F-100.2*F) body ache, pain at vaccination site, sore throat, mild cold. In the evening, around 6:30 pm, my temperature was 99.3*F, pain slightly reduced at the vaccination site, some relief was also observed in my sore throat.

I had my dinner at 8:30 pm and went to bed at 10:30 pm, before bedtime my temperature was 99.2*F.

27/01/2021

I woke up at 6:00 am, feeling quite well, body temperature was 98.7*F, pain at vaccination site grossly reduced, pain only felt when I press my vaccination site with my hands, sore throat, neck pain gone.

All these side effects were like having mini-Covid symptoms.

Importantly, the whole batch of the doctors who got vaccinated the same day kept on sharing their side effects within our group and about 80-90% of us had common side effects as mentioned above.

The other symptoms which my colleagues had.

1. Dizziness, at the time of administering the vaccination and afterwards as well.

2. Rise in blood pressure.

3. Nausea.

I am sharing with you the first-hand experience which we doctors had at the time and after vaccination. You all will be experiencing the same, whenever you get vaccinated, so do not get anxious, as you all now, know the side effects.

Better star this message till you get vaccinated, delete it, after vaccinated.

Q. What did I do to overcome the side effects of vaccination

1. I kept myself well hydrated, drank 3-4 litres of warm water, apart from warm water had hot soup 400 ml each time, 4 times a day. (Tomato, Carrot, Spinach & Ginger soup). Keeping oneself hydrated after vaccination is a Guru Mantra, to get well soon.

2. Meals-Dalia, Khichdi, Sooji, Salad, Papaya, Apple (peeled).

3. To wean off the side effects, one can take a paracetamol tablet, but I did not take one. I relied on my body’s defence/response.

Other important points

1. Please get vaccinated, whenever your turn comes. Do not skip your turn, otherwise you will have to wait for long. Do not put your work or any other engagements before vaccination.

2. There are two doses of vaccination with 28 days apart, after the second dose of vaccination you will be issued a certificate that you have been successfully vaccinated.

3. You will receive all the messages on your registered mobile number, the date and the time slot when are you going to be vaccinated.

4. Please do not wear any perfume on the day of vaccination.

5. Do not allow alcohol rub on your arm at the time of vaccination and after vaccination.

6. Please do not consume alcohol 10 days before and 10 days after the vaccination.

7. Individuals with high BP should monitor their BP regularly after vaccination.

8. Please remember, even after vaccination we all are expected to wear masks, maintain social distancing and wash hands.

I will receive my second dose whenever I receive message on my registered mobile number.

Aftermath of my vaccination experience closes here, as I am feeling better and back to normal.

Click to read more...

 

Fact Check Of Doctor’s Diary On Covaxin Side Effects

There’s no way to tell if the viral diary was actually written by a doctor, since it’s unsigned and not attributed to anyone. So we cannot verify his/her account.

However, we can fact-check a few interesting points, claims and advice in that viral account. Let’s see what the FACTS really are…

Fact #1 : India Uses The Metric System

Interestingly, the writer recorded his/her body temperature in Fahrenheit, instead of Celsius.

Like the vast majority of the world, India uses the metric system, and an actual Indian doctor would use Celsius.

Fahrenheit is only used in the United States, Belize, Palau, the Bahamas and the Cayman Islands – none of which has the Covaxin vaccine.

Fact #2 : The Writer Use Terms Doctors Generally Won’t

Generally, doctors will not use terms like vaccination site, temperature started rising, warmness in eyes, rise in blood pressure, or mini-Covid symptoms.

The proper terms, which normal people would have understood, would have been injection site, fever, hypertension or increased blood pressure, or COVID-like symptoms.

Fact #3 : How High Was Their Blood Pressure?

The writer claimed that his/her medical colleagues reported “rise in blood pressure”, without stating how much higher.

This is important, because a significant increase in blood pressure is defined as an increase in systolic blood pressure of greater than 20 mm Hg, or an increase in diastolic blood pressure of greater than 10 mm Hg.

If the writer is an actual doctor, and his colleagues only reported slightly elevated blood pressure, he/she should have written it off as irrelevant, or normal physiological variances.

Blood pressure can also temporarily increase for all sorts of perfectly normal reasons – smoking, caffeinated drinks, anxiety, or even mild exertion before the reading was taken.

A single elevated BP reading is not indicative of the blood pressure actually being high. In fact, blood pressure readings are only accurate if you follow these rules :

  • you did not drink a caffeinated beverage or smoke in the last 30 minutes.
  • you did not rest (sit quietly) for at least 5 minutes
  • you are seated with your arm rested, so that your elbow is about heart level
  • you did not talk during the measurement
  • there is a difference of less than 5 mm Hg between two readings taken consecutively.

Fact #4 : Dizziness During Injection 

Dizziness during injection is not a side effect of the Covaxin vaccine, because it’s in the process of being injected into the body, and thus have no effect yet.

It is actually a symptom of vasovagal syncope – the same physiological response that caused Tiffany Dover to faint on TV after receiving an injection of the Pfizer BNT162b2 vaccine.

People with vasovagal syncope will feel dizzy or faint when exposed to certain triggers like pain, emotional stress, fear of needles or even just the sight of blood.

So it is not surprising if some people feel dizzy or faint after getting an injection, whether it’s of a COVID-19 vaccine or a placebo.

Fact #5 : Some Side Effects Are A Good Sign

The known Covaxin vaccine side effects include :

  • injection site pain, swelling, redness, itching
  • stiffness and weakness of the injection arm
  • body ache, headache
  • fever, malaise, weakness
  • rashes, nausea, vomiting

While side effects like allergic reaction, rashes and vomiting are obviously not good, other side effects are a good sign.

Vaccine “side effects” like fever and muscle ache are actually a sign that the vaccine is working, and your body’s immune system is kicking into action.

Remember – COVID-19 vaccines like Covaxin basically use the inactivated SARS-CoV-2 virus or its spike protein to train your body’s immune system to fight against the real virus.

So you should at least expect some symptoms of a real COVID-19 infection, as the body works to fight off the “fake infection” that the vaccine just delivered.

Fact #6 : Hydrate With Water, Period

Hydration is simple – drink water. It really doesn’t matter if it’s cold, hot, warm, lukewarm, or room temperature.

There is also no fixed rule on how much water to drink a day. It very much depends on the individual’s life and environment.

Someone who is physically exerting himself in a dry climate would naturally require more hydration than a rich socialite chilling out in the sauna.

Fact #7 : Hydration Has No Effect On Vaccines

Any doctor worth his/her salt would know that body maintains its biological equilibrium through homeostasis.

So additional hydration after vaccination will not have any effect. You will just piss it out.

Fact #8 : Perfume Isn’t Bad For Vaccination

This needs some context. It’s not wrong to smell nice when you meet people.

Some health authorities are advising people to avoid wearing scented products like perfume or cologne, as other people waiting for their vaccinations may be allergic to them.

Fact #8 : Alcohol Rub / Swab Is Fine

WHO recommends against swabbing the skin with alcohol before injecting the vaccine, consider it an unnecessary waste of time and money. So don’t be worried if the nurse or doctor skips this step.

However, there is nothing wrong if you let the nurse or doctor swab your skin with alcohol before injecting the vaccine.

No one swabs the skin with alcohol after an injection, so we have no idea why the writer would ask you to refrain from doing so.

Fact #9 : Alcohol Consumption Before / After Vaccination Is Fine

There is no evidence that alcohol consumption has any effect on any COVID-19 vaccine, so there is no rule against consuming alcohol before or after vaccination.

But it would be make sense not to drink alcohol before driving to the vaccination centre – which is both unsafe, and against the law.

Fact #10 : Hypertension Is Not A Side Effect

So far, no COVID-19 vaccine (Covaxin or otherwise) has listed hypertension – high blood pressure – as a side effect. So there is no need to monitor your blood pressure after vaccination.

If you already have hypertension, then you should monitor your blood pressure regularly… as you normally would.

 

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