Bhubaneswar: After a 57-year-old man from Titlagarh tested positive for COVID-19 after taking second dose of vaccine and died, Health and Family Welfare Director Bijay Panigrahi on Friday said the vaccine does not prevent a vaccinated person from being infected by coronavirus.
Speaking to media persons here, Panigrahi said those administered with the vaccine are also likely to get infected, but they can get respite from developing any serious complication. The vaccine can prevent the patients from the hospitalisation and death, he added.
Dr PK Gupta, former president of IMA, Lucknow is also of the same opinion. After 40 doctors in the city tested positive despite having taken two doses of the vaccine, he said “There is a possibility of people testing positive for COVID-19 despite taking the vaccine, but the intensity of the virus would be less.”
On the vaccination drive in the state, Panigrahi said it could not be carried out in Koraput and Sonepur on Thursday due to shortage of vaccines. “We have 3.2 lakh doses of Covishield and 1 lakh doses of Covaxin in stock. We hope to get more vaccine doses soon,” he added.
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