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DAK bats for booster shots of Covid-19 vaccine to prevent breakthrough infections

YB WEB DESK. Dated: 11/26/2021 11:32:26 AM

Srinagar, Nov 25 Doctors Association Kashmir (DAK) on Thursday said people who are fully vaccinated need booster shots of Covid-19 vaccine to prevent breakthrough infections. “Booster shots would extend the immune protection provided by Covid-19 vaccines,” said DAK President and Influenza expert Dr Nisar ul Hassan. Dr Hassan said though Covid-19 vaccine provides high level of protection against serious illness, but immunity wanes over time “Various studies have confirmed that Covid-19 vaccine becomes less effective over time,” he said. Dr Hassan said analysis from a UK study found that the protection provided by the two doses of Pfizer and Oxford vaccine wanes within six months. “The study revealed that protection after two doses of the Pfizer vaccine decreased from 88% at one month to 74% at five to six months and protection for Oxford decreased from 77% at one month to 67% at four to five months,” he said. The DAK President said Jammu and Kashmir is seeing a rise in the number of breakthrough infections because of waning vaccine immunity. As per the data, there were around 9400 positive cases of Coronavirus in the last 3 months, out of which 31.7 percent cases were breakthrough infections who had received both doses of Covid-19 vaccine. “An infection of a fully vaccinated person is referred to as a vaccine breakthrough infection,” he said adding though fully vaccinated people with a vaccine breakthrough infection are less likely to develop severe illness, but they can spread Covid-19 to others.