India is aggressively pushing its vaccination drive against Covid-19 after a slow start. As of September 24, more than 84.8 crore doses have been administered across the country. India could touch the milestone of 100 crore doses by the end of next month. More than half of the adult population has taken at least one shot of the Covid-19 vaccine, though the government and health experts have been urging the citizens to complete their vaccination by getting the second dose as well.
However, some people have missed their second shot within the stipulated timeline due to various reasons. According to an August 17 report in The Hindu, at least 3.94 lakh people, just in Tamil Nadu, lapsed on their second shot of Covaxin.
Experts suggest that people, who could not take their second shot in time, can go for an antibody test. Dr Arun Sharma, Director, National Institute for Implementation Research of Non-Communicable Diseases, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), said that the government continuously informs citizens about their pending shot till a person is fully vaccinated. If the person still fails to get the second dose, then he or she, Dr Sharma suggested, can seek the help of an expert.
Dr Sharma added that the person can either go for the second shot anyway or an antibody test before vaccination. He said that the antibody test will help ascertain the number of antibodies being produced from the first dose. People with inadequate antibodies can go for revaccination but after consulting a doctor.
He also noted that no research or study has been done to conclude whether a person can go for revaccination in case of no antibodies being produced either due to delay in second dose or other reasons. Dr Sharma also highlighted that there are no government guidelines for possible measures after a delay in the second shot.
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