Reza Mahmud :
The decision of the health authorities to delay the second dose of the covid-19 vaccine may not be effective as per the researchers and experts views.
The health authorities of Bangladesh firstly announced that the second dose of the vaccine would be pushed to human body 28 days after getting the first dose.
But the health authorities have finally decided to make longer between the two shots of the jab which created anxiety among more about its effectiveness.
Virologists and renowned research organizations said there is a nothing to be worried if one failed to get the second dose of the jab on the scheduled date.
Human health experts said that a person would not be immunized soon after being immunization. It works gradually.
It takes time to make up the protection shield inside the body and giving a longer interval might cause the strong protection.
Physicians said the second Covid-19 vaccine dosage, further boosts the resistant system of the immunized person while the first vaccine dose is designed to make readied the body to recognize the killer virus and rise up the protecting system.
Clinical tests also showed that resistance against the virus was significantly higher after individuals received two shots.
Therefore, a certain interval time is required for the resistant system to fully react to the first dose, so that it can get the maximum benefit from the second shot.
Several research in Europe and America reflect the similarly and they said that the vaccine could be administrated within a distance of 4-12 weeks.
The Oxford-AstraZeneca trial showed that the participants who had a longer gap developed stronger immunity.
It corroborated the UK’s decision and following what World Health Organization (WHO) was also made a similar suggestion on February 10.
The experts working worldwide said that the second vaccine could be received as many as four days early, or 42 days after the first dose.
Renowned Virologists, Former Vice-Chancellor of BSMMU, Professor Dr Nazrul Islam said there is nothing to worry if any one fails to take the second dose of the vaccine in scheduled date.
“Delaying of a few days is to be protected more, everyone must take the both doses,” he said.
The health authorities considering one shot for recovered Covid-19 patients: besides, the experts said that vaccine supply shortages, fragmented, underfunded healthcare systems could make people, who have received the first jab, to wait much longer than the planned date for their second dose.
Observing the global crisis of Covid-19 vaccines, France on February 12 recommended that people who have already recovered from the disease should be considered to receive only one shot of the jab.
Professor Dr. Nazrul Islam believes this is equally applicable for Bangladesh as well.
“Giving one shot to the recovered one will be fruitful and it will save a good number of jabs to be administrated to others,” he said.
