The Difference of 12-18 weeks between the two doses of Covishield is Reasonable Approach: US Expert Dr Anthony Fauci

GG News Bureau

New Delhi, 14th May. US President Joe Biden’s chief medical adviser, Dr. Fauci justified the 12- to 18-week gap between the first and second doses of the Covishield vaccine. In an interview, Dr. Fauci said that if there is a shortage of vaccines and more and more people have to administer the vaccine, then this method is justified.

The American doctor Fauci said that India should cooperate with other countries and companies to speed up the vaccination campaign, so that the country’s population can be vaccinated as soon as possible. Describing India as the world’s largest vaccination producer, Dr. Fauci said that India is a very large country, it has a population of 1.3 billion and so far only 10% of people have received the Corona vaccine. Therefore, India will have to work with other countries to increase vaccination production.

Dr. Fauci said that an important step needs to be taken to take care of infected patients in India. Dr. Fauci said that it is not enough for India to get oxygen, oxygen cylinders, PPE kits, masks and oxygen concentrators only from abroad. Apart from this, India should emphasize on how to apply the maximum vaccine to the citizens. He said that the new mutant B1617 of Corona has been found in 40 other countries besides India, including America. In this crisis of Corona period, it becomes the responsibility of the rich countries to help the incompetent countries.

On the efficacy of Sputnik V, Dr. Fauci said that I do not have much information about Covaxin made by Bharat Biotech but Sputnik V is more effective. Sputnik V is 90 percent effective against Corona. However on covaxin, he said that he does not have much information about it.

Dr. Fauci also said that if there is a shortage of vaccine, then the decision to keep a difference of 12-18 weeks between the first dose of the vaccine and the second dose is justified. By doing so more and more people get the first dose of corona. Dr. Fauci said that if you make a long difference between the two doses, then it is very unlikely that it will have a negative effect on the efficacy of the vaccine.

#WATCH When you don't have enough vaccines, extending duration b/w 1st & 2nd dose to get more people to at least get 1st dose is a reasonable approach. Unlikely that long delay would've negative effect on vaccine efficacy: Dr Anthony Fauci, top US infectious disease expert to ANI pic.twitter.com/25cO35jgR2

— ANI (@ANI) May 14, 2021