If second vaccine dose missed, process must be restarted: Expert

Indias Covid19 vaccination coverage has crossed the 85 crore mark but the success of this mass drive against the pandemic depends on people getting fully vaccinated with both doses says a leading expertIn an interview to IANS Dr Arun Kumar Sharma Director ICMRNational Institute for Implementation Research in NonCommunicable Diseases NIIRNCD Jodhpur reveals why full vaccination against Covid is important as well as what to do if you miss a doseFollowing are excerpts from the interviewQ Why both doses of the vaccines necessary for protection against Covid infectionA For strong protection against Covid infection it is necessary to have both doses of the vaccine even after the first dose the defence system against infection is made but two doses of vaccines have been approved by experts after intensive research and testing A strong protective shield against infection can be prepared only after both the phases of vaccination so the second dose of Covid vaccine must to be administered at the scheduled timeQ Does even a single dose provide sufficient protection against infectionA Antibodies are partially formed after the first dose of the Covid vaccine Antibody titre test gives an idea of what percentage of antibodies are made in the body after taking the vaccine For example if after taking the first dose of vaccine 40 per cent of antibodies are formed then for the remaining 60 per cent of antibodies we have to take the second dose of vaccine which will give us 100 percent protection against infectionQ If a person misses taking the second dose or if it is too late then whatA Under the prescribed system of Covid vaccination after taking the first dose you are informed through a message to take the second dose This message is sent continuously until you take the second dose of the vaccine and your certificate of complete vaccination is ready Despite this if someone is not able to take the vaccine even after the prescribed time for the second dose then on the advice of the specialist they should get an antibody test If there are no antibodies then they should start the sequence of reimmunisation from the first doseQ Does India also need to introduce booster dose of vaccine as many nations have doneA Whether the booster dose should be given or not is still a matter of research Indias vaccination monitoring team is constantly monitoring this topic and so far no recommendations have been made regarding booster doses in the trials If it is needed in future it can be consideredQ Is peoples negligence towards the second dose a significant challenge in achieving herd immunityA If a large population of any state or region gets vaccinated against Covid it means that infection will not spread in that pocket thus the infection chain can be broken conversely if more and more people are not serious about vaccination people can be the easier targets for the virus through nonvaccinated people as the virus will continue to get the human body to spread the infectionIn such situation not only the chain of the infection will be difficult to break but mutation of the virus also cannot be ruled outQ Does Covid appropriate behaviour need to be followed even after both doses of vaccines are administeredA Of course even after getting both the doses of Covid vaccination it is necessary to follow the Covid appropriate behaviour By following Covid appropriate behaviour we give double protection to ourselves and others against the infection It is possible that the virus will not affect one having both doses of vaccines but it can enter the body of someone whose immunity is not as strong as ours or his body does not have antibodies to fight against the infection So even after taking both doses of vaccine keep the mask on and follow the prescribed distancing and other norms