By Sampada A. Khatiwada
Kathmandu, Aug. 10: With the beginning of the government’s AstraZeneca vaccination campaign from Monday, the senior citizens’ long wait to get the second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine has finally come to an end.
However, as those who got the first dose of the Covishield vaccine in March had to wait for over five months to receive the second jab, many are questioning the efficacy of the AstraZeneca vaccine. Likewise, as the government is now distributing AstraZeneca as the second dose of Covishield many have a misconception that the vaccines are different from each other.
Durga Prasad Pokharel, a 71-year-old resident of Tokha Municipality-9, said, “After five months of wait, I have been told that we will be receiving the second dose. However, the government had previously said that the second dose should be administered within 12 weeks of getting the first jab.”
“As the government keeps on changing the time interval between inoculation of the first and second dose, we are in confusion,” said Pokharel.
Similarly, Keshav Baniya, 76, from Kathmandu Metropolitan City-16, Balaju, is also puzzled regarding the vaccination campaign. “I received the first dose of Covishield in March. Now, I have heard that they are providing us a second dose of vaccine having a different name.”
“As the government had previously said that the vaccine we receive as the second dose should be the same as the first dose, I am skeptical about getting the second jab,” said Baniya, adding that it would be better if the government clarified the matter.
Meanwhile, Dr. Jhalak Sharma Gautam, chief of the vaccination section under the Department of Health Services, said that the efficacy of the AstraZeneca vaccine would not diminish despite the delay in receiving the second jab.
“We have already said that the second dose of Covishield should be administered within 12 to 16 weeks of receiving the first dose. Thus, it is not necessary to harbour doubts about the effectiveness of AstraZeneca vaccine being provided currently as the second dose,” Dr. Gautam said. He also said that the efficacy of the full dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine was 76 to 85 per cent.
He further clarified that both Covishield and AstraZeneca vaccines were the same. “The content of both, Covishield and AstraZeneca, is the same, only the manufacturers are different,” said Dr. Gautam, requesting everyone to get inoculated with the second dose at their nearest vaccination centre.
Similarly, Dr. Sher Bahadur Pun, coordinator of Clinical Research Unit in Sukraraj Tropical and Infectious Disease Hospital, Teku, said, “The AstraZeneca vaccine was developed jointly by AstraZeneca, a multinational pharmaceutical company, and Oxford University. After the anti-coronavirus vaccine was successfully developed, the Serum Institute of India was given permission to manufacture the vaccine.”
Stating that the Serum Institute of India had manufactured COVID-19 vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University under the name ‘Covishield’, Dr. Pun informed that both, Covishield and AstraZeneca, were the same.
“The formula of the vaccines provided by Japan and Bhutan are Covishield, only the brand is different,” said Dr. Pun, appealing to everyone to get vaccinated and help the government in making its vaccination drive successful.
A total of 1.35 million people, mostly senior citizens, had been waiting for the second dose of the anti-coronavirus vaccine since March.
According to the Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP), the vaccines are being administered from 4,422 vaccination sites across the nation including 149 in Kathmandu.