COVID-19 vaccination | Most beneficiaries skipped second dose, reveals government data

As of February 13, only 7,668 out of the over 1,91,000 healthcare workers who had received their first COVID-19 vaccine shot on January 16 – the first day of India’s vaccination drive - turned up for the second dose of the vaccine.

Moneycontrol News

February 15, 2021 / 21:31 IST

The two coronavirus vaccines that have been cleared for emergency use in India – Covishield and Covaxin – need the second dose to be administered within 28 days of receiving the first.

Data provided by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has revealed that out of the 61,54,894 healthcare workers vaccinated against COVID-19, only 97,732 beneficiaries have been given the second dose so far.

As of February 13, only 7,668 out of the over 1,91,000 healthcare workers who had received their first COVID-19 vaccine shot on January 16 – the first day of India’s vaccination drive - turned up for the second dose of the vaccine, reported IANS.

Reacting on the extremely poor turnout, Sunela Garg, member of the COVID-19 task force in Delhi and advisor to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), said one of the reasons could be hesitancy built after experiencing adverse reactions following the first dose.

"Many have reported adverse reactions following immunisation. While it is natural to experience them post vaccination, the impacts they had made the beneficiaries hesitant to go for the second round of inoculation," she told IANS.

Garg said follow-up with such beneficiaries and motivation will eventually help in drawing them back to the vaccination booths.

COVID-19 Vaccine

Frequently Asked Questions

How does a vaccine work?

A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine.

How many types of vaccines are there?

There are broadly four types of vaccine — one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine.

What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind?

Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time.

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COVID-19 vaccination | Most beneficiaries skipped second dose, reveals government data

As of February 13, only 7,668 out of the over 1,91,000 healthcare workers who had received their first COVID-19 vaccine shot on January 16 – the first day of India’s vaccination drive - turned up for the second dose of the vaccine.

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COVID-19 vaccination | Most beneficiaries skipped second dose, reveals government data

As of February 13, only 7,668 out of the over 1,91,000 healthcare workers who had received their first COVID-19 vaccine shot on January 16 – the first day of India’s vaccination drive - turned up for the second dose of the vaccine.

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