Approximately, 17 percent of Indians who are aged between 30 and 69 years cannot be given Bharat Biotech’s COVID-19 vaccine Covaxin. As it is contrain dicated for people who are taking blood thinners — drugs that inhibit blood coagulation, within blood vessels and in case of bleeding too.

According to the National Non-Communicable Disease Monitoring Survey 2017-18 that was published on Monday, 17.4 percent Indians are taking aspirin, which is one of the most commonly used blood thinners.

Covaxin’s fact-sheet is annexed to the consent form where the recipients have to sign before getting immunized. It states that people who are taking blood thinners or those people who are bleeding disorders cannot receive the vaccine.

The fact-sheet for the Serum Institute of India and Oxford University /AstraZeneca who developed Covisheld doesn’t directly stated that it is contraindicated for people who are on blood thinners, but they have asked the potential beneficiaries to notify their physicians before hand if on such medication.

38.2 percent urban men, 12.2 percent rural men, 19.2 percent urban women, and 8 percent rural women are taking aspirin, according to the NCDIR survey. People on daily aspirin include 33.9 percent of all urban men, 6.2 percent of all rural men, 19.2 percent of all urban women and 5.7 percent of all rural women. Thus, 13.8 percent Indian adults who are aged 30-69 uses aspirin every day.

Aspirin is one of the most commonly used blood thinners, but not the only one blood thinners. Aspirin obstructs coagulation by acting on blood platelets; however there are other types of drugs performing the same function with the action on the clotting factors in blood. These are commonly given to people who suffer from the heart valve diseases.

The survey indicates that the total number of Indian people who are on blood thinners, and are contraindicated for the COVID-19 vaccine, might be greater than the 17.4 percent aspirin users.

Source: The Print