New Delhi Official sources confirmed on Sunday that the National Technical Advisory Group is set to discuss the issue of giving ‘extra’ doses of the Kovid-19 vaccine to persons with weakened immunity in its meeting to be held on Monday, 6 December.
Officials confirmed that the additional dose of the vaccine is different from the booster shot.
A booster dose is given to a person after a predetermined period of time, when there is a decline in the immune response due to the primary vaccination.
When the primary schedule of vaccination does not provide adequate protection against infection and disease, additional doses are given to immunocompromised and immunosuppressed individuals.
Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya had recently informed the Lok Sabha that the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunization (NTAGI) and the National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration for COVID-19 (NEGVAC) are considering scientific evidence related to this aspect. And thinking.
“For now the issue of booster doses is not on the agenda as studies are being conducted to ascertain its need and value.
An official source said, “The issue of giving additional doses of Kovid-19 to the weak and vulnerable people of the immune system will be discussed in the meeting of the NTAGI on December 6.”
In its bulletin dated November 29, the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Consortium on Genomics (INSACOG) recommended a booster dose of COVID-19 vaccines for people above 40 years of age with priority to high-risk and high-risk populations. .
However, on Saturday it said its recommendation was not for a national immunization program as many more scientific experiments are needed to assess its impact.
Recently, Serum Institute of India (SII) had sought approval from the drug regulator for Covishield as a booster dose against the novel coronavirus infection.
In an application to the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI), Prakash Kumar Singh, director of government and regulatory affairs at SII, said that the UK-MHRA has already approved a booster dose for AstraZeneca, while Covishield has no vaccine in India. There is no shortage. And that a booster dose is being sought from those who have already taken two doses given the ongoing pandemic and the emergence of new strains.
Basically, cancer patients on therapy, transplant patients, AIDS patients, among others, fall into such categories and require additional dose (third dose) vaccine to improve their safety.
Experts said that despite the emergence of new forms such as Omicron, vaccination remains one of the strongest pillars of protection against disease and infection.
While there is no evidence that existing vaccines do not work on the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2, some of the reported mutations may reduce the efficacy of JABS, the Union Health Ministry said, adding that there is no definitive evidence for the new variants. Underlining. Enhanced remission and immunity evasion, awaited.
“While there is no evidence that existing vaccines do not work on Omicron, some of the mutations reported on the spike gene may reduce the efficacy of existing vaccines.
“However, vaccine protection is by antibodies as well as cellular immunity, which are expected to be relatively better protected. Therefore, vaccines are still expected to provide protection against serious disease and vaccination with available vaccines is important. If Eligible but not vaccinated, one should get vaccinated,” the ministry said in a list. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs),
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