‘Vaccination only way out to achieve herd immunity’
Srinagar, Jun 05: Though the vaccination process against Coronavirus is going on in full swing, some people claim that even after taking the dose, “they haven’t developed antibodies.”
Medical experts believe that no vaccine has 100 per cent efficacy so it is not necessary that all people will develop antibodies, “however, maximum people would develop antibodies.”
In an exclusive interview with news agency, a renowned gastroenterologist and Chairman Covid Advisory Committee (CAC) Jammu and Kashmir Dr M S Khuroo said nor everybody would form antibodies after the first dose and neither people would react after the second dose of the vaccine.
“It is not universal that whosoever takes vaccine will form antibodies but there is no doubt that most of the people who will take vaccine form antibodies,” Khuroo said.
“Whatever vaccines are available, there isn’t hundred per cent efficacy but most of the people form antibodies,” he said.
“After the first dose of vaccine, the response is slow and the effect comes at least after around six weeks. However, the second dose has a quick response. One dose gives partial protection, while full protection comes just after two weeks of the second dose,” Khuroo said.
Khuroo said that first dose-response is mostly of Igm type and after the second dose a person gets brisk response because the body is already reacted to the first time and one gets very high Igg antibodies.
“Moreover it is not antibodies that protect you from infection but there is b cell that forms antibodies and t cell response forms cell-mediated immunity so that if you don’t form antibodies vaccine can still protect you from infection,” he said.
Khuroo said Pfizer vaccine has been found 95 per cent effective, Moderna has been found 94 per cent effective, Sputnik v vaccine has been found 92 per cent effective, Covaxin around 82 per cent and Covishield 80 per cent if taken after 12 weeks and around 70 per cent effective if taken after six weeks.
“After taking vaccine, there are chances that you will get the breakthrough infection but it will be very mild and chances of death are very rare,” he said.
Khuroo said that breakthrough infection in Covaxin is around .04 and.02 in Covishield vaccine and cases of deaths are very rare, “but can happen”.
He said that there is no alternative other than to take the vaccine to protect yourself, your family, society and once around 60 to 70 per cent people will get the herd immunity, the transmission will stop and you can start your work normally.
“Once herd immunity will be achieved you don’t need to wear masks. However, you need to take precautions in a highly infectious area,” he said, adding that if people really want to start their activities normally they must take the vaccine at the earliest so that herd immunity can be achieved and transmission will stop.(KNO)
