Covid antibodies to last for 8 months after vax: AIIMS Dir

New Delhi, Feb 12 : All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Director Randeep Guleria on Friday said that antibodies against the novel Coronavirus disease may last for up to eight months or longer pursuant to the vaccination, adding that scientists are aggressively studying the long-term protection provided by the vaccines.
Guleria, who is also a member of the National Task Force on Covid-19, answered a batch of questions related to the vaccines on Twitter earlier in the day. People tweeted to him using #VaccineVarta, following which he reverted to them.
“Antibodies will develop about 14 days after the second shot. It is not clear how long protection will last but it is believed that it will last for at least 8 months, or may be longer.
“Currently, scientists are aggressively studying long-term protection provided by vaccines,” the AIIMS Director said, on being asked how long the body will sustain the vaccines.
About 75,05,010 doses of ‘Covishield’ and ‘Covaxin’ have been administered in India since the drive began on January 16.
Guleria said that the population above 50 years of age will start getting the vaccination from March 2021 onwards. “This will also include population with comorbidities, between 20 years to 50 years,” he announced.