Bengaluru: While India is vaccinating its population, chiefly with two vaccines – Covishield and Covaxin – for the last several months, it is to be confessed and conceded that vaccine hesitancy has dented the efforts to a great extent. 

While some hesitate to take the first dose itself, with the fear of side effects, there are those who dither to get the second jab as they would come across news reports of those getting the first jab contracting the virus or some even, unfortunately, passing away. 
These concerns are indeed legitimate. But having said that, both doses of the vaccine must be taken. Here’s why: 

AIIMS Director Dr Randeep Guleria says, “If you have taken two doses, and two weeks have passed since then, a good number of neutralising antibodies are developed. You are safe from getting severe disease. Infection and disease are slightly different. Infection means you have had exposure to covid when you came in contact with some patient and the virus replicated itself in the throat and nose and you are in a position to infect others. but the immunity in your body that has developed will help in not spreading the virus all across. So you will not have the disease and the need to go the hospital is killed. There will be lesser mortality as well. The vaccine will protect you from disease but the infection can still happen.” 

Even after getting vaccinated, it is advisable that one follows covid-appropriate behaviour. 

He added, “So covid-consonance behave is still needed even after vaccination. There is also data to suggest that those vaccinated were getting milder illness after getting vaccinated. That is why I urge everyone to come forward and get vaccinated”.  
 
One the two vaccines, he added, "If we look at the two vaccines, they produce equal antibodies and are very robust. We should take the vaccine available to us because both are equally effective in terms of efficacy and long-term protection”.