Vaccine safe for people on blood thinners: ICMR

Using blood thinners may not be a possible risk factor for coronavirus vaccines and the government is considering allowing companies to drop it as a contraindication from the product fact-sheet, top officials said on Thursday.

“The relative contraindication regarding the blood thinners is mentioned in the fact-sheet of both the vaccines and both the companies have written to the drugs controller general of India (DCGI) regarding changing this point in the fact-sheet,” said Dr Balram Bhargava, director general, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).

“Blood thinners are of two cat

NEW DELHI:

egories- one is antiplatelets that are aspirin, or Clopidogrel and these are not a problem at all; the second is anticoagulants which are drugs like heparin etc. and those patients on these drugs have a much higher tendency to bleed. The only worry is that there can be a local haematoma (blood clot) or local swelling can occur where the injection site is. It is a very relative contraindication,” he said.

The fact-sheets put out by both the Covid-19 vaccine manufacturers had listed use of blood thinners as one of the contraindications for use of Covid-19 vaccine, which experts believe could have led to a huge chunk of Indians choosing to avoid getting the shots. A family of drugs that fall loosely under the umbrella are widely in use in the country due to rising numbers of people with cardiovascular diseases.

“The anticoagulant can be stopped for one or two days prior to giving the vaccine for those on this drug. For other blood thinners like aspirin or Clopidogrel, there are no contraindications, and that will be corrected and rectified in the factsheet as soon as the drugs control gives permission for the same,” Dr Bhargava explained.

Doctors say use of blood thinners is not a big concern in people lined up for vaccination. “It is like the annual flu shot, and people on blood thinners also take the flu shot. This is not a major concern,” said Dr GC Khilnani, former, head of pulmonology and sleep medicine department,

All India Institute of Medical Science, Delhi.

India has set a target of vaccinating an estimated 300 million high risk population by August. In the first phase, 20 million health care and frontline workers will be vaccinated. Covid-19 vaccination drive began on January 16 in the country with health care workers getting vaccinated.

“As on today 9,000 vaccination sessions are held across the country in a day, which had started with 3,374 on the day of the launch. We track number of sessions scheduled, conducted and beneficiaries vaccinated. And what is the target and what has been the success rate,” said Rajesh Bhushan, secretary, Union health and family welfare ministry.

JAMMU & KASHMIR

6,070

22,401

PUNJAB

50,977

HARYANA

116,481

48,008

GUJARAT

154,234

60,941

6,298

6,186

8,244

DAMAN & DIU, DADRA AND NAGAR HAVELI

114

779

GOA

2,926

KARNATAKA

284,979

KERALA

107,224

571

LAKSHADWEEP

70

746

TAMIL NADU

88,467

6,428

18,824

23,579

RAJASTHAN

244,204

7,067

LADAKH

818

7 HIMACHAL PRADESH

18,866

4,843 CHANDIGARH

409 UTTARAKHAND

2,873

19,517

UTTAR PRADESH

294,847

171,086

MADHYA PRADESH

MAHARASHTRA

222,007

43,636

PUDUCHERRY

1,813

1,67,838

40,176

0

4,827

SIKKIM

1,748

ODISHA

3,849

ASSAM

28,918

619

8,973 ARUNACHAL PRADESH

1,344 NAGALAND

8,651

WEST BENGAL

JHARKHAND

24,315

194,058

CHHATTISGARH

62,110

TELANGANA

151,243

187,394

15,831

11,179

20,636

ANDHRA PRADESH

8,982

170,910

444

MEGHALAYA

BIHAR

106,824

606

5,773

746 MANIPUR

MIZORAM

TRIPURA

17,768

31,280

6,728

24,302

ANDAMAN AND NICOBAR

2,656

287

2,855

10

1,004

4,604