Doctors advise teens undergoing Covid vaccination to not take paracetamol

New Delhi: Children undergoing Covid vaccination must not take paracetamol, a common pain reliever, without first consulting, city doctors advised on Friday.

The advice was issued in response to growing concerns that some immunisation centres are advising children to take three paracetamol 500 mg tablets after receiving the Covid vaccine. Taking paracetamol without consulting a doctor can harm children, the health experts warned.

“Paracetamol is not recommended as prophylaxis, before and after any Covid vaccination as we don’t know how it alters the immune response of the vaccine,”



said Dr. Akshay Budhraja, Sr. Consultant, Respiratory and Sleep Medicine, Aakash Healthcare.

“Giving paracetamol to children (15-18 years old) who are receiving Covid vaccines is not recommended. It is because it has the potential to cause hepatotoxicity (liver damage caused by drug exposure) in them,” added Dr. Col.Vijay Dutta, Senior Consultant – Internal Medicine, Indian Spinal Injuries Centre.

A low-grade fever, muscle ache, lethargy, headache, soreness at the injection site is common in the first two days after vaccination, which usually subsides on its own, without any medication.