Coronavirus: Can you get a vaccine shot if you have a cold or fever?

Vaccination drives have begun all across the country, with healthcare workers lining up to get the first doses of the coronavirus vaccines, Covaxin and Covishield.

Globally, too, there's a lot of zeal and enthusiasm amongst people registered to get the vaccine in the earliest of timeframe-which is also a way of achieving herd immunity.

Right now, while there are no limitations as to what may prevent a person from getting vaccinated, there are some precautionary measures which people have been asked to follow before their turn comes up- being well-rested, educated and safeguard immunity being some basic ones.

People with pre-existing illnesses are being asked to wait too.

But, what happens if a healthy, qualified person develops a cold or fever at the time of his vaccination appointment?

Does developing a sickness mean that the vaccine won't be safe for use? Can he or she qualify for vaccination?

When a person gets sick, it probably means that the body has been infested by an infectious germ or virus, meaning that the immune system is already in a compromised, stressed-out state, working hard to remove the germ.

It’s common knowledge that a vaccine works the best when a person's immunity is healthy, well-developed and stress-free.

Existing sickness, or at a time of sickness, when the immune system is already busy fighting out the virus would mean that there would be risks for the vaccine to work well, making many wonder if getting a COVID vaccine would be safe or not.

Not to forget, suffering from respiratory symptoms like cough, a fever could be doubly dangerous right now, since they are possible COVID symptoms as well. This is the only reason why some are being turned away from vaccination centres right now, because of the risk of infection spread.

While there are worries which may keep sick people away, right now, there are no guidelines which suggest that mild infections or illnesses which hamper the workability of a vaccine, COVID or otherwise.

The only thing which can determine your risk of getting vaccinated is the type of infection you have.

For example, a common cold or a viral, which we have been battling for long is a common infection of mild nature. Having a mild infection won't be harmful to get vaccinated. However, real danger could arise if your respiratory symptoms are linked to COVID-19 and require additional measures.

On the other hand, if a person is suffering from symptoms due to seasonal allergies, it could be a cause for worry. Pre-existing allergies are right now, a grave cause of concern for vaccination as it can fuel unwanted reactions.

The only real concern of getting vaccinated when a person is sick that the vaccine dose may increase the severity of your symptoms. It can be harder to distinguish your illness from that of the reactogenic vaccine reactions. In some cases, it can lead to serious side-effects, even if rare and complicate your recovery.

The best course of action to take would be to talk to a doctor, or authorities at the vaccination centre beforehand to alert them about the problem at hand, and take the neccessary course of action.

While people are being asked to get vaccinated as and when the turn comes up, people who are seriously unwell may have been in contact with a coronavirus patient in the past week, have been self-isolating or waiting for COVID test results to come back should wait and have it after a while.

Another common misconception is that people who have recovered from coronavirus will not require a vaccine shot right now.

This is not true. Reinfection is a real possibility and there is strong evidence to suggest that immunity against COVID-19 may not be long-term for everyone. Getting a vaccine shot would mean that you double up your chances of protection and protect your fragile immune system.