Options for second dose for the partially vaccinated
There is uncertainty about the second shot for 15 lakh people who got their first shot earlier, since the government has only 8 lakh doses in stock right now
People given the first dose of Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine are ruminating on which vaccine to get for the second dose to complete their course of immunisation against Covid-19.
Robed Amin, spokesperson of the Directorate General of Health Services, said the National Advisory Committees on Immunisation is working on to come up with a decision.
Professor Sayedur Rahman, chairman of the Department of Pharmacology at the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University, said there is no data supporting use of AstraZeneca vaccine with other vaccines.
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"Many countries have excess doses of AstraZeneca vaccine. I believe the government will be able to get 15-20 lakh doses, using its diplomatic capacity within the three months' time we have."
Moreover, researches are underway to find out if the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine can be given for the second dose after the first shot of the AstraZeneca vaccine. "If the results show a positive outcome, we may give one of the vaccines to those who are partially vaccinated," Sayedur said.
For the last resort, Chinese Sinopharm vaccine or Russian Sputnik-V can be administered to them.
Professor ABM Khurshid Alam, director general of the Directorate General of Health Services, told The Business Standard, "We are communicating with the UK and the USA to import AstraZeneca vaccine. We are trying to ensure second doses of the vaccine."
