Antibodies against the coronavirus may last for up to eight months or longer post vaccination, said All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) director Randeep Guleria on Friday.
About 75,05,010 doses of Covishield and Covaxin have been administered in India since the mega vaccination drive began on January 16 across the country.
Guleria’s statement comes amid reports that some of the Covid-19 vaccination centres in Delhi are mulling to start conducting antibody tests before and after beneficiaries receive the shot to test its efficacy.
According to a news agency report, the research will be conducted after hospitals or vaccination centres get essential approvals from their respective ethical committees.
Guleria, who is also a member of the National Task Force on Covid-19, was answering questions related to the vaccines on Twitter earlier in the day. People tweeted to him using #VaccineVarta, following which he reverted to them.
“Antibodies will develop about 14 days after the second shot. It is not clear how long protection will last but it is believed that it will last for at least 8 months, or may be longer. Currently, scientists are aggressively studying long-term protection provided by vaccines,” said the AIIMS director.
Guleria said the population above 50 years of age will start getting the vaccination from March 2021 onwards. “This will also include the population with comorbidities, between 20 years and 50 years,” he announced.
One of the citizens asked why veterinarians are not included in the high-risk workers list, to which he said 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. Currently, health workers and frontline workers are being vaccinated in the phase one and two of the drive.
On being asked by one netizen as to why the Government is depriving their own citizens of vaccines by exporting the same to other countries, Guleria answered that since people travel and become a carrier of virus, everyone needs to be vaccinated globally to control the spread.