KOCHI: Acute shortage of vaccine doses across the state has resulted in the mass vaccination drive being suspended in various districts. Ambitious plans by the state government to vaccinate all above 45 years of age have been put on hold till new batches of vaccines arrive. In the wake of the shortage, experts have opined that those who recovered from Covid-19 infection in recent times need not rush to take the vaccination, as their immune systems would have already acquired antibodies. Further, in such cases, the second dose of vaccination can also be delayed, as it would be more beneficial for those who are yet to be vaccinated, they say.
In the case of re-infections too, vaccination and its second dose can be delayed when the state is facing a shortage of doses. “Covid-19 studies conducted across the globe reveal that those who have recovered from the infection will have antibodies for periods varying from 6-9 months. In such cases, there is no urgency in getting vaccinated when there is a shortage of vaccine doses. The available vaccines doses can be saved and will be beneficial for others. Dire situations make us take drastic measures and this is one such step,” said Dr Monu Varghese, a Kochi-based pulmonologist. As regards persons who previously had Covid infection, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has stated that added protection obtained from vaccinating previously infected individuals, is yet to be established.
“In participants who were seropositive at baseline, antibody levels were boosted after dose 1, with no further boosting after dose 2. Currently available data indicate that symptomatic reinfection within six months after an initial infection is rare. Thus, a person with PCR confirmed Covid-19 infection in the preceding six months may delay vaccination until near the end of this period. When more data on duration of immunity after natural infection becomes available, the length of this time period may be revised,” says the WHO in a study published regarding the recommendations for use of vaccine developed by Oxford University and AsterZeneca.
However, there is also a rising sentiment against the state’s health department, for not revising treatment guidelines and strategies even after a year of the onset of the pandemic. “t is high time that our health department revised the treatment guidelines and strategies that are in place,” said a health official.