Less than 50% of HIV patients in Karnataka got one Covid vaccine dose

The World Health Organization (WHO) recently recommended administering an additional dose of Covid vaccine to immunocompromised people due to their higher susceptibility to breakthrough infections after standard immunisation.

Data shows that only 22.36% of HIV patients in Karnataka are fully vaccinated while 48.89% have taken the first dose. There are more than 1.69 lakh HIV patients in the state who are on antiretroviral therapy (ART).

NGO Karnataka Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS (KNP+) works closely with the Karnataka State AIDS Prevention Society (KSAPS). KNP+ president Thyagaraj D T said at least 11% of HIV patients in the state had contracted Covid and 42 of them had died.

While these recovered Covid patients are waiting for completion of three months after recovery for vaccination, another sizable immunocompromised population in the state is of transplant patients who received either live or cadaveric organs or tissues, and have therefore been put on life-long immunosuppressants.

Since 2007 until October 1 this year, as many as 1,589 people in the state have received cadaveric organs in transplant procedures, said State Organ Transplant and Tissues Organisation (SOTTO) Chief Transplant Coordinator Lijamol Joseph. There are also those who have undergone organ transplant with the help of live donors, of which SOTTO doesn't maintain data.

Thyagaraj told DH: "If the government prioritises PLHIV (People Living with HIV) for an additional vaccine dose, we will have no objection, but currently, the ART treatment is helping keep our CD4 counts stable which is lending us some protection. Currently, our vaccination status is being recorded on our ART cards and we are proactively being led to vaccination centres."

CD4 cells, also known as T cells, are white blood cells that fight infection and play an important role in the immune system. A CD4 count is used to check the health of the immune system in people infected with HIV (human immunodeficiency virus). HIV attacks and destroys CD4 cells.

"There is no vaccine hesitancy as PLHIV are themselves enquiring about Covid vaccination. They know their vulnerabilities. Out of 1,69,502 PLHIV on ART, 82,871 have taken the first dose and 37,909 have taken the second dose. We hope to have at least 60% of them vaccinated with the first dose soon," he added.

Another challenge is that PLHIV or those on immunosuppressants cannot choose Covaxin with less than four weeks to six weeks gap between doses and have to instead chosen Covishield with the 84-day gap between doses.

"You should not get Covaxin, if you are immune-compromised, or are on medicine that affects your immune system," says Bharat Biotech’s fact sheet on Covaxin.

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