Booster short: On the third COVID-19 vaccination dose

On 22 November, the Director General of ICMR said that there was There is no scientific evidence yet to provide a booster vaccine dose. Full vaccination of people. Instead the priority was to increase the percentage of people who were given the two-dose vaccine. The health minister also said that priority was given to full immunization of all adults compared to booster shot immunization, although adequate vaccines were available. Even when there was once a clamor for booster doses in some states New variant with high transmissibility causes huge surge in cases in South Africa Became known, the Government has reiterated that any Decision on booster dose will be based solely on scientific recommendations, Although more than 65 million people in the US have not been vaccinated, as of October 21, A booster shot was approved for everyone over the age of 65 and certain categories of young adults. This was later expanded to include all adults. Several countries in Europe have also approved booster shots, at least partly based on their decisions on vaccine effectiveness data. Such evidence has become available only recently in India. One study found CovaShield to be 85% protective against moderate or severe disease and 63% protective against symptomatic infections, while another found Covaxin to be 50% effective against symptomatic infections. Both studies were conducted during the peak of the delta variant-powered second wave.

The effectiveness of both vaccines against the Omicron type is unknown. Although this variant appears to be far more transmissible than the delta variant, the severity of the disease and the age groups most susceptible to the disease are not fully known. Despite these uncertainties, it may still be prudent to approve booster doses for people over the age of 60 and for young adults who are immunocompromised or have comorbidities. But the administration of a booster dose may not be at the expense of increased coverage of the first dose and full immunization. Also, the need to start immunizing adolescents cannot be overlooked. As of December 4, more than 1.26 billion doses have been given, of which about 85% have received a single dose, but only over 50% have been fully vaccinated. Although the house-to-house vaccination campaign last month saw an 11.7% increase in second dose coverage, a large percentage of the population in the priority groups are still not fully vaccinated. More than 8% of health care workers, 30% over the age of 60 and over 33% of those aged 45-59 have not yet been fully vaccinated. The rapid global spread of the Omicron variant could also increase vaccine volumes. While an ample supply of CoveShield, which administers around 90% of vaccines, may be able to meet demand, the priority should be to increase vaccine coverage, not boosters, especially as India’s supply of vaccines remains low. There will be pressure. Global South.