3 in 4 Indians believe antibodies develop post 1st Covid dose

New Delhi, March 17 (IANS): With the Covid-19 vaccination drives in progress, 74 per cent Indians believe that antibodies develop just after taking the first dose of Covid-19, a new report said on Wednesday.

According to a myth-busting quiz conducted by location based social network Public App, almost two-thirds of the respondents believed that antibodies instantly start developing post the first dose of the vaccine. However, a top health expert stressed that it takes at least two weeks to develop antibodies post second dose.

“Antibodies generally develop two weeks after receiving the second dose. So, don’t lower your guard and give your body some time to build that immunity back up,” RandeepGuleria, Director, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, said in a statement.

A vaccinated person should continue to take necessary precautions including regularly sanitising, wearing masks, and ensuring social distancing as stated in the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines.

As many as 80 per cent of the people busted this myth correctly.

In the quiz, 42 per cent of people said that one does not need a vaccine if they have survived coronavirus. However, as per the CDC guidelines, it is important to get the vaccine irrespective of the fact if they have gotten exposed to the virus or not in the past.

The company said that the aim of the poll, with almost 4 lakh respondents, was to understand how people are perceiving the ongoing Covid-19 vaccination and to stop the spread of misinformation.