4 Covid warriors test +ve month after getting 2nd shot in Mohali

Four healthcare and frontline workers who were administered the second and final dose of Covishield in February have tested positive for Covid-19 in Mohali

Four healthcare and frontline workers who were administered the second and final dose of Covishield in February have tested positive for Covid-19 in Mohali. A similar case surfaced in Chandigarh too.

Urging people to shun hesitancy and not get demotivated by such cases, doctors said the vaccine is needed to reduce severity of the disease. (HT File Photo/For Representational Purpose Only)

Those tested positive include two doctors and a staff nurse of the civil hospital in Phase 6, Mohali, a field officer posted at the civil hospital in Lalru, also in Mohali district, and a healthcare worker at Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), Sector 32, Chandigarh.

Urging people not to hesitate from getting vaccinated due to such cases, doctors said that vaccines have limited efficacy and their importance lies in decreasing the chances of contracting the disease as well as its severity.

“The level of antibody response varies from person to person. It is very much possible that a person tests positive after getting vaccinated. Data too suggests that the double dose efficacy of the vaccine is 62%. Getting vaccinated is important as it decreases the severity of the disease,” said Dr Madhu Gupta, principal investigator of Covishield vaccine trials at Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research.

Dr Deepak Chawla, nodal officer for immunisation at GMCH, said that after people are vaccinated, they are advised to keep taking precautions. “Vaccine is majorly effective against the severity of the disease, hospital admissions and death. It does not grant guarantee until a large segment of the population gets vaccinated,” he said.

Mohali civil surgeon Adarshpal Kaur said the four staffers who tested positive have mild symptoms and are in quarantine. “The vaccination is being carried out by trained staff under the direct supervision of specialist doctors. We administer the shot with the surety that the person will not have any side effect and it will not endanger life. The vaccine is very safe and no one should hesitate from getting it,” she said.

In Mohali, 7,051 healthcare workers and 5,819 frontline workers have got the first dose of the vaccine. Among them, 3,507 and 891, respectively, have got the second dose. In Chandigarh, 13,266 healthcare workers and 13,051 frontline workers have been vaccinated, with 4,603 and 1,622, respectively, getting the second dose as well.