Jahnavi Sarma
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Written By: Jahnavi Sarma | Updated : February 12, 2021 3:47 PM IST
Since the mass vaccination drive started in India on January 16, around 75,05,010 doses of 'Covishield' and 'Covaxin' have been administered to recipients.
Vaccine hesitancy is a real thing and there are many people in India and abroad who are still unsure about whether they want to get the shot of not. Fear of side-effects, incomplete trial data, vague assurances from people in positions of authority have all contributed to this. Seeking to clear the air, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Director Randeep Guleria on Friday took to Twitter to answer vaccine-related questions that people may have. Guleria, who is also a member of the National Task Force on COVID-19, answered a batch of questions tweeted by people using #VaccineVarta. Here is what he said in answer to questions posed to him by netizens.
He said that antibodies against the COVID-19 virus may last for up to eight months or longer pursuant to the vaccination, adding that scientists are aggressively studying the long-term protection provided by the vaccines.
Answering one of the questions, Dr Guleria said that antibodies will develop about 14 days after the second shot is administered. He also clarified that, at present, it is not exactly known as to how long protection will last. But experts believe that it will last for at least 8 months or may be even longer. On being asked how long the body will sustain the vaccines, the AIIMS Director said that, currently, scientists are aggressively studying long-term protection provided by vaccines.
Since the mass vaccination drive started in India on January 16, around 75,05,010 doses of 'Covishield' and 'Covaxin' have been administered to recipients. The second dose of the 2-dose vaccines will be administered soon. Dr Guleria said that the people above the age of 50 years will start getting the vaccination from March 2021 onwards. This drive will also include people with comorbidities, between 20 years to 50 years.
On a lighter note, when on of the citizens asked why veterinarians are not included in high-risk workers list, Dr Guleria said that it is because they are not treating patients with COVID-19. "Depending on age and presence of comorbidities, linked to more severe diseases, one will get the vaccine," he added.
In recent days, we have been witness to India's vaccine diplomacy. Millions of shots are being sent to other countries. One netizen asked why the government is depriving their own citizens of vaccine by exporting to other countries. In answer to this, Dr Guleria said that since people travel and become a carrier of virus, everyone needs to be vaccinated globally to control the spread. "Therefore, all countries need to get their share of vaccines," he added.
As per the Union Health Ministry, India has become the fastest nation in terms of the vaccine doses administered in the country, even though many countries had launched their vaccination campaigns earlier than India. About 4,13,752 beneficiaries received COVID vaccine nationwide on Thursday.
(With inputs from IANS)
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