Bangladesh to administer second doses of Oxford COVID vaccine after eight weeks

The second dose of the Oxford University-AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine will be given eight weeks after the first shot in Bangladesh as the government has brought more changes to its nationwide immunisation plan.

ABM Khurshid Alam, director general of health services, said on Monday they took the decision following recommendations by the World Health Organization and national technical committee on COVID-19.

Oxford University and AstraZeneca's vaccine showed in a study it had 76 percent efficacy against symptomatic infection for three months after a single dose, which increased if the second shot is delayed, Reuters reported earlier in February.

The finding backed Britain's decision to extend the interval between initial and booster doses of the shot to 12 weeks. AstraZeneca said eight to 12 weeks between doses seems to be the "sweet spot" for efficacy.

Bangladesh launched the inoculation drive last month and held a dry run initially, in which over 500 people were given the Oxford vaccine doses manufactured by the Serum Institute of India. 

The authorities observed the participants for over a week to check side effects before kicking off the mass immunisation following WHO recommendation as the trials of the vaccine were not held in Bangladesh.

Initially, the government had planned to administer the first doses to six million people in the first month and give them the booster shot after a month when more doses arrive. 

But uncertainties over the arrival of vaccine doses forced the government to change the plan. It decided to give the first doses to 3.5 million people in the first them and keep their second doses in reserve so that a delay in getting doses cannot hamper the inoculation drive.  

Khurshid had said at the time that the previous plan would be restored if the second doses had arrived as per schedule.

“It’s an ongoing process because no one has experience about this new vaccine. There will be various types of changes. Nothing is fixed,” he said on Monday.   

Bangladesh gave the first doses to more than 900,000 people until Sunday and asked them to take the second dose after a month.

The director general of health services said they would be informed about the changed dates via text message.