Washington: More than 400 US colleges and universities have asked students since March to get COVID-19 vaccinations just ahead of the Autumn semester.
But those who have been vaccinated with India’s indigenous Covaxin or the Russian Sputnik V are being asked to re-vaccinate themselves as the World Health Organization (WHO) have not yet approved these vaccines.
Milloni Doshi (25), a student from India, who is about to begin her master’s degree this fall at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs, has been administered two doses of Covaxin.
Now, the varsity has categorically told her that she will be required to be revaccinated with a different vaccine once she lands on campus, reported The New York Times.
“I am just concerned about taking two different vaccines. They said the application process would be the toughest part of the cycle, but it’s really been all of this that has been uncertain and anxiety-inducing,” Doshi wrote via a messaging app.
This is primarily because no data is available on whether combing vaccines from different companies is safe. “Since COVID-19 vaccines are not interchangeable, the safety and effectiveness of receiving two different Covid-19 vaccines have not been studied,” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) spokesperson Kristen Nordlund was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
The situation is particularly challenging for students coming from India, which sends around 200,000 international students to US colleges every year, according to The New York Times.
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