How to get vaccinated against coronavirus

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Step-by-step instructions on how to prepare, what to ask your doctor about, and what to look for afterwards.

1. Check if you have any contraindications

If you live in Russia, you can be vaccinated with one of three drugs registered in the country. These are "Sputnik V" ("Gam-COVID-Vac" Gam-COVID-Vac Combined vector vaccine for the prevention of coronavirus infection caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus / State Register of Medicines), "CoviVac" purified) / State Register of Medicines and "EpiVacCorona" EpiVacCorona Vaccine based on peptide antigens for the prevention of COVID-19 / State Register of Medicines.

All of these vaccines have common contraindications. You will be denied the vaccine if:

• You are under 18 years old. Children and adolescents are not vaccinated because vaccine safety and efficacy data have not yet been collected for this age.
• You are pregnant or breastfeeding.
• You have an acute infectious or noncommunicable illness. For mild ARVI and intestinal infections, vaccination can be carried out immediately after the temperature subsides and the symptoms disappear. For other acute illnesses, you will have to wait 2–4 weeks after recovery.
• You have a chronic infectious disease in the acute stage. The vaccine will be given only after the disease goes into remission.
• You have once been allergic to vaccines that have a similar composition.
• You have experienced any severe allergic reaction (anaphylaxis, Quincke's edema) in the past. It does not matter whether it was associated with vaccination or not.

If you find any of the contraindications, it means you can stop at this (temporarily or completely, it depends on the specific contraindication). If necessary, for example, if the employer insists on the vaccination, ask the therapist to issue you a certificate of medical removal.

2. If unsure, consult your doctor

In addition to clear contraindications in the instructions 1. Gam-COVID-Vac Combined vector vaccine for the prevention of coronavirus infection caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus / State Register of Medicines.

2. KoviVac (Inactivated whole virion concentrated purified coronavirus vaccine) / State Register of Medicines.

3. EpiVacCorona A vaccine based on peptide antigens for the prevention of COVID-19 / State Register of Medicines. For all three drugs, conditions are listed in which the drug must be administered with caution. As a rule, we are talking about chronic, autoimmune, cardiovascular, endocrine diseases.

This does not mean that the vaccine is dangerous in such cases. It's just that the manufacturers did not conduct clinical trials with people who would have had similar diagnoses. And they are not entirely sure that the vaccination will be effective and will not harm.

If you have any chronic disorder, the decision to vaccinate should be made with your doctor. This could be a therapist or your supervising specialist. For example, a cardiologist, endocrinologist, gastroenterologist, rheumatologist.

3. Choose a vaccine

The doctor can tell which of the three drugs to be vaccinated - if you come to him for a consultation. The doctor will select the vaccine that best suits your state of health. For example, "KoviVac" will not work KoviVac (Inactivated whole virion concentrated purified coronavirus vaccine) / State Register of Medicines if you have bronchial asthma, COPD or other diseases of the bronchopulmonary system. But Sputnik V has no respiratory system diseases in the list of restrictions. Gam-COVID-Vac Combined vector vaccine for the prevention of coronavirus infection caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus / State Register of Medicines.

In the event that you consider yourself healthy and do not have chronic disorders or allergies in the past, you can decide on the vaccine yourself.

Unfortunately, when it comes to efficiency, there is little choice. It is known that the most popular Russian vaccine "Sputnik V" after a double injection will reduce Denis Y. Logunov, Inna V. Dolzhikova, Dmitry V. Shcheblyakov, Amir I. Tukhvatulin, Olga V. Zubkova, Alina S. Dzharullaeva, et al. Safety and efficacy of an rAd26 and rAd5 vector ‑ based heterologous prime ‑ boost COVID ‑ 19 vaccine: an interim analysis of a randomized controlled phase 3 trial in Russia / The Lancet your risk of contracting COVID ‑ 19 is 91.6%. Information about the other two drugs has not yet been officially published.

4. Schedule a vaccination

This step is optional. For example, in Moscow, you can get a vaccine by simply visiting any of the Healthy Moscow pavilions or by contacting a mobile vaccination team that works in large shopping centers and other public places. Please note that in this case you may have to wait in line for a while.

Another option is to sign up for a vaccination at your nearest clinic online (for example, through "State Services") or by phone How to get a free vaccine by appointment / Official website of the Mayor of Moscow.

5. Allow at least an hour to get vaccinated

The vaccine itself will be done quickly. But there are two must-haves that will take time. They are mentioned in the document The Ministry of Health of Russia has standardized the rules for vaccination against COVID-19 / Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation "Procedure for vaccination against COVID-19 in the adult population", approved by the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation.

• Medical examination. It is carried out immediately before vaccination. The doctor will measure temperature, pulse, blood pressure, oxygen saturation and ask you about your well-being. She will ask if you have been in contact in the past 14 days with someone who is sick with COVID-19, and also if you have experienced symptoms of coronavirus infection during the same period. Please note that if you answer yes to any of these questions, you will have to take a PCR test. And at temperatures above 37 ° C, you will not be allowed to vaccinate.
• Waiting after vaccination. You must be supervised by a nursing staff for 30 minutes. It is important not to miss the developing anaphylactic shock and other possible side reactions.

6. Take your documents with you

The most reliable option is a set of passport, SNILS and compulsory medical insurance policy. It is not necessary that you will be asked for all three documents. But it is better to have them on hand to avoid possible overlaps.

7. Make sure you get the vaccine of your choice

There have been cases of EpiVacAfera / Novaya Gazeta, when doctors substituted one drug for another in the vaccination rooms. And without warning the patient. And this is a violation of the Federal Law of 21.11.2011 N 323-FZ (as amended on 26.05.2021) "On the basics of protecting the health of citizens in the Russian Federation." Article 79. Obligations of medical organizations of Article 79 of the Federal Law "On the Fundamentals of Health Protection of Citizens in the Russian Federation".

Therefore, before vaccination, ask to show the vial or ampoule with the vaccine. Please note that the packaging with Sputnik V will say “Gam-COVID-Vac” - this is the registered trade name of the drug.

8. Observe how you feel after vaccination

Possible side effects are described in the instructions for each vaccine. They most often develop in the first two days after vaccination and last no longer than three days.

Usually this:

• Flu-like symptoms include fever, chills, headache, muscle pain, and weakness. To make you feel better, it is recommended 1. Letter of the Ministry of Health of Russia dated February 20, 2021 N 1 / I / 1-1221 On the direction of methodological recommendations "Procedure for vaccination with the GAM-COVID-VAC vaccine against COVID-19 in the adult population."

  2. Letter of the Ministry of Health of Russia dated January 21, 2021 N 1 / and / 1-332 "On the procedure for vaccinating the adult population with the EpiVacCorona vaccine against COVID-19". take one of the over-the-counter non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen or acetylsalicylic acid.

• Soreness, redness of the skin and slight swelling at the injection site. In this case, antihistamines will help.

If you have side reactions that are not listed in the instructions, contact your physician. And demand I have an adverse reaction to a drug, how and where should I report it? / Federal Service for Surveillance in Healthcare, so that he reported them to Roszdravnadzor. This is important: all such notifications are recorded, and the manufacturer will be able to track the side effects that went unnoticed during the first studies of the vaccine.

In addition, the Ministry of Health recommends that the Russian Ministry of Health has standardized the rules for vaccination against COVID-19 / The Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation should keep a Self-Observation Diary: it is available on State Services.

Try to record any unusual adverse reactions. In this case, if you have post-vaccination complications, it will be easier for you to claim compensation Federal Law of 17.09.1998 N 157-FZ (as amended on 26.05.2021) "On immunization of infectious diseases." Article 18. The right of citizens to social support in the event of post-vaccination complications from the state.

9. Do not forget to enter the second dose

All vaccines registered in the Russian Federation are administered in two stages, with an interval of 2-3 weeks. There is no need to sign up for a second vaccination: it will happen automatically.

So that you do not forget about the second injection, you will receive a reminder message a day before it (date, time and address where you need to arrive).

During the procedure, make sure that you are given the same vaccine as the first time.