SINGLE DOSE SUFFICIENT FOR THOSE ALREADY INFECTED: STUDY

A single dose of vaccine is sufficient for those already infected by Covid-19, revealed a study by Hyderabad’s AIG Hospitals.

The hospital said it conducted a study on 260 healthcare workers who got vaccinated between January 16 and February 5 to assess their immunological memory response. All patients were given the Covishield vaccine.

Two significant observations came out of the study, which has been published in the International Journal of Infectious Diseases, a peer-reviewed journal.

The previously infected group showed a greater antibody response to a single dose of vaccine compared with those who had no prior infection.

It also revealed that Memory T-cell responses elicited by a single dose of were significantly higher in the previously infected group compared with those who had no prior infection.

It was concluded that higher memory T and B-cell responses in addition to higher antibody response with a single dose of vaccine given at 3-6 months after recovery from Covid-19 may be considered at par with two doses of vaccine for individuals already infected.

“The results show that people who got infected with Covid-19 need not take two doses of vaccine yet with a single dose can develop robust antibody and memory cell response at par with two-doses for those who didn’t get the infection. This will significantly help at a time when there’s a shortage of vaccine in the country and more people can be covered using the saved doses,” said Dr D Nageshwar Reddy, chairman, AIG Hospitals, and a co-author in the study.