Doctors Getting Infected With COVID Even After Both Vaccines Is Worrisome, One Even Reinfected

In the initial days of the COVID-19 outbreak, early studies had suggested that those who got the infection once were unlikely to be infected again due to the presence of antibodies.

However, later it emerged that those who have been infected by the virus once can be reinfected, though the chances for this are less.

The same has been told about vaccines - once you take the two doses and develop antibodies against the virus, you are immune to the virus.

AFP

Worrying developments

But in a worrying development, there have been reports of medical professionals who had taken the two doses of COVID-19 vaccines testing positive for the virus.

The most notable of this is at the King George's Medical University in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.

On Wednesday, six staffers working in the office of the KGMU vice-chancellor tested positive for Covid-19 despite having received both shots of the vaccine.

With this, a total of 45 fully vaccinated people at KGMU have tested positive for COVID-19.

BCCL

In the last three days, 39 KGMU doctors, including its medical superintendent, Prof D Himanshu, have tested positive for the infection.

This includes KGMU's vice-chancellor, Lieutenant General (Retired) Dr. Bipin Puri, who tested positive for the second time in nine months.

"KGMU Vice-Chancellor Lieutenant General (Retired) Dr Bipin Puri tested positive for Covid-19 on Tuesday, while medical superintendent, Prof D Himanshu, tested positive for Covid-19 a day earlier,¡± a doctor said on Tuesday.

"In the last three days, 39 doctors of KGMU have tested positive for Covid-19. Both the vice-chancellor and medical superintendent have got both the doses of anti-Covid vaccine," he had said.

BCCL

On Wednesday, KGMU spokesperson, Dr Sudhir Singh said, "The administration of the KGMU is extremely serious to stop the spread of the infection and in this regard, screening has already started.¡±

Similar cases have also been reported from Bihar, where fully inoculated doctors have tested positive for COVID-19.

Though the exact circumstances for the infections are still being studied in detail, one of the reasons could be that they had not developed antibodies yet.

According to the CDC, it typically takes a few weeks for the body to build immunity (protection against the virus that causes COVID-19) after vaccination. That means it¡¯s possible a person could be infected with the virus that causes COVID-19 just before or just after vaccination and still get sick. This is because the vaccine has not had enough time to provide protection.