Despite some initial reservations, people have been coming in droves to get their second jab of the COVID-19 vaccines. Halfway through the weeklong second nationwide vaccination campaign, 324,112 people, including those receiving the first shot, were vaccinated as of Friday afternoon. This translates to a daily average of over 80,000 people since the vaccination drive kicked off on July 20.
As per the health ministry, the majority of people are opting for the Moderna vaccine.
National Immunization Technical Advisory Group (NI-TAG) member Dr Sonam Wangchuk said, “We feel the people are concerned after the continuous outbreaks reported in the last three and a half months.”
Besides, he said, the gap between the first and the second doses has extended from the initially announced eight to 12 weeks. “They (people) are willing to get the vaccine as soon as possible.” Nearly 93 % of the country’s adult population received the first dose during the mass vaccination drive in March.
During a LIVE session on Facebook recently, the Prime Minister, Dr Lotay Tshering, said the government is hopeful of achieving herd immunity against COVID-19 by the end of this month. However, 80% of the population must be vaccinated.
“On the government’s part, we have acquired enough vaccines. We are even providing them with preferences for the vaccines. Now, the people must come forward and get vaccinated.”
“Herd immunity against COVID-19 is every nation’s dream. And this time, Bhutan has the opportunity to achieve this dream,” the Prime Minister added.
Currently, Bhutan’s COVID-19 vaccination rate stands at 64.2%. The health minister said it is the highest among the South East Asian countries.
As part of the vaccination drive, the NI-TAG is also collecting blood samples from volunteers to check the antibody developed by the vaccines. Antibodies are proteins produced by the immune system that helps in fighting against infection.
Dr Sonam Wangchuk said, “Since we are administering Moderna as the second dose, we also want to know the side effects or reactogenicity.”
Meanwhile, the NI-TAG said the adverse reactions some people reported after the jab is normal and not due to the mixing of the vaccines. So far, the most common reactions reported are headache, fever and fatigue, and tenderness or pain at the place of injection.
Kinzang Lhadon
Edited by Sonam Wangdi
