‘Not unexpected, take second dose’
NOIDA: Two health care workers (HCWS) with the Gautam Budh Nagar chief medical officer’s (CMO’S) office tested positive for Covid-19 on Friday, two weeks after they got the first dose of vaccination. This is the first such reported cases in the district.
CMO Dr Deepak Ohri said it took at least two weeks to induce an immune response after the second vaccination shot, which they were scheduled to get 21 days after the first. The patients, he added, showed no symptoms of the disease.
“Both have been kept in home isolation and are regularly monitored,” he said. “It is also a reminder that we still need to follow all Covid-19 safety protocols, including masks, washing hands frequently and maintaining social distancing.”
One of the infected persons was posted in Ohri’s office, while the other is in-charge of Pradhanmantri Matri Vandan Yojna (a maternity benefit scheme) in the district.
“Both had received their shots on February 5. Their samples returned positive in an antigen test,” the CMO said. Two vaccines had been deployed in the district -Serum India Institute’s (SII’S) Covishield and Bharat Biotech’s
Covaxin. The two infected persons received Covishield, he said.
Dr Neeraj Tyagi, the district vaccination officer said that an infection soon after getting the first shot was not unexpected. “Immunity against the virus starts developing two weeks after the first jab and for optimum immunity, a second dose is a must. When someone gets
a booster dose, their immunity is believed to be gone at its peak,” he said.
When contacted, both the infected patients, told HT over phone that they are keeping well. “I do not have fever, cough or any other symptom. Yet, I am taking all the precautions so that I should not be a spreader. I am ready to take the second doze of vaccine,” the in-charge of Pradhanmantri Matri Vandan Yojna said.
Covid numbers
GB Nagar and Ghaziabad recorded eight and 12 new cases of Covid-19, according to the Uttar Pradesh government’s 24-hour health bulletin released on Saturday. Crucially there has been no increase in deaths in the two districts with
Gautam Budh Nagar last recording a death on January 5 and Ghaziabad on December 29,2020.
Gautam Budh Nagar had a total of 91 deaths and 25,325 recoveries so far, while in Ghaziabad it was 102 deaths and 26,556 recoveries, according to the bulletin. Both districts had a 99% recovery rate. There are 61 active cases in