India working on next generation COVID wax: Dr Arora of NTAGI

What happens six months after a booster dose?

It is very difficult to predict. The virus is evolving. We have started working on next generation vaccines, which will provide wider coverage and try to cover future variants. Some industry people and educational institutions have come forward in this work.

read also, Free COVID booster dose for adults aged 18-75 from today

How do you see the decision to give a free booster dose to everyone over the age of 18?

This is a very welcome move and will potentially increase the coverage of precautionary doses. There are three important things we need to look at. Firstly, Covid is still around us, and even today, India has registered over 20,000 new cases. People are not coming for testing even if they have symptoms, which has led to less testing. Second, for the past six months, we have been seeing cases of Omicron, and we are reporting new sub-lineages at regular intervals, such as BA.1, BA.2, BA.3, BA.4, XE variants And now, B.A.5. Some of these variants have transmission benefit. This means they spread 10-20% faster than the original Omicron virus. But fortunately, as far as India is concerned, none of them have caused serious illness, hospitalization and death. But we are keeping an eye on it, and it is likely that any day, there will be a type that is more serious and causes hospitalization or that is more toxic. So, the virus is constantly evolving, and mutations are taking place. Third, although the precautionary dose was opened in January to people over 60 years of age, healthcare and frontline workers and in March to those above 18 years of age, especially those with co-morbidities. So, the offtake has been bad.

Why was the need felt? What is booster dose coverage in the eligible population now?

Our data show that in the population over 60 years of age, precautionary dose coverage is approximately 40%, but in the younger population (aged 18–59 years), the coverage is approximately 5% to 7%.

Do you think this shortcoming will be filled by launching the mission mode campaign?

Yes. This will improve the booster dose coverage when the government starts a massive booster dose campaign in mission mode. There are many things in this, such as the Kovid-19 booster vaccine being available free of cost at all government centers, and a massive awareness campaign to encourage people. Because there has been a sense of complacency that the virus is mild, adherence to COVID-appropriate behavior has disappeared. Recently the government has also reduced the interval between the second dose and the precautionary dose to six months or 26 weeks for all COVID-19 vaccines. Now, in practice, people who have received a second dose from the primary vaccination regimen are eligible to receive a booster dose. Given all this, we hope that in the next 75 days we will be able to encourage a larger number of people to take a booster dose.

Some states still do not have good coverage of booster doses. What action will be taken for such states?

The situation is bad all over the country. In some places the booster dose coverage is 2%, while in some places the coverage is around 12%. We would like it to be 80-90% like the primary vaccination. Hence, it has to be worked with some intensity and enthusiasm.

Why didn’t people come for the booster dose?

One reason is that the fear factor is reduced. During the second wave last year, vaccination centers were overcrowded. But in the case of Omicron, it is detected as mild; However, in some developed countries, Omicron is not so light. That is why we are constantly saying that the behavior of viruses is very relevant and geographical. So, people think that Omicron is just a mild fever or common cold. We know that people still get Omicron after being vaccinated. But fortunately, vaccination prevents serious illness, hospitalization, and deaths. Therefore, it is necessary to take a booster dose for future protection.

Delhi was already giving free booster doses. Why didn’t the Center think of this earlier?

It’s good to look back; However, we know that many states including Delhi provided booster doses free of cost. But still people were not showing up. Therefore, a large-scale communication strategy is needed and secondly, Indian data shows that after six months of primary vaccination, antibody levels begin to decline. Therefore the correct timing of the booster dose is important.

The Ministry of Health has directed to increase the booster dose of Sputnik V vaccine. Why is its coverage low?

With regard to the Sputnik V vaccine, not many people have taken it, and about 2 million doses have been given. Sputnik V availability is also an issue, and it’s stock-out at various locations. Hence the Ministry has directed the States/UTs to increase the booster dose of Sputnik V Vaccine. People who are now eligible for a booster dose of Sputnik V should be able to receive it.

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