CHANDIGARH: Over the last six days, daily second dose vaccination has been increasing in the city. From September 7, daily second doses have exceeded first shots against Covid. Till date, 12,10,132 doses have been given, of which 8,51,003 were first doses and 3,59,129 were second doses.
The vaccination drive started in the city on January 16. UT administration has been claiming 100% first dose coverage before any state or UT. However, Government of India has not accepted the data till date. “The UT is not even placed in the state/UT list of more than 85% coverage yet,” said an official in the UT health department.
Demand for the second dose increased from last month as the dosing gap was increased from four and six weeks to 12 and 16 weeks in mid-May. “After most people completed their first dose, they fulfilled the criteria of enhanced dose gap in August,” said an official in the UT health department.
Second dose coverage will take another three months or so but questions are raised by the fact that studies from several countries have observed waning of antibodies after complete immunisation. “These countries are proposing a booster shot, which is not affordable in developing countries like ours.
Therefore, the sooner we achieve complete immunisation, the easier it shall be to reduce the chain of transmission,” said a public health expert.
