New Delhi/Bengaluru: fear of a drop A rise in antibody levels six months after receiving the second vaccine dose, and rising concerns about the spread of the new SARS-CoV-2 variant Omicron have prompted people in some parts of the country to go for booster shots of available COVID vaccines Is. This, despite the absence of a third or booster dose recommendation from the government.
Commenting on the efficacy of the booster dose, Gautam Menon, professor of physics and biology at Ashoka University in Sonepat, said that while no side effects have been reported for taking the third pill, there is also a lack of evidence to decide whether it Somebody will do well
“Earlier, I used to say that it is necessary to vaccinate the entire population of the country before giving a booster shot. However, with the emergence of Omicron, it makes sense for those at high risk to receive booster doses on priority rather than waiting for the entire population to be vaccinated,” he said.
Delhi was Reported 64 omicron cases as of Thursday, the second highest in the country after Maharashtra, which reported 65 cases. A total of 236 omicron cases have been reported in the country.
many countries including we And this UK Have already recommended booster shots for their population. However, health authorities in India have repeatedly repeated that the focus is currently on vaccinating the entire population, as the World Health Organization has also advocated Currently against booster shots.
In South Africa, where the Omicron variant was first identified, less than seven percent The population has been vaccinated. There have also been global experts Attractive To allow Western countries to gain access to vaccine doses, before allowing populations in developing countries to provide additional doses to their populations.
In India, there has been a demand for booster doses especially from healthcare workers, many of whom are on their way to get a third dose of the vaccine from private hospitals.
The CoWin platform – through which registration for COVID vaccines is done in India – currently does not allow booking for the third dose. Nor is any vaccination certificate being given to those receiving booster shots at private facilities.
Instead, the hospital where such a dose is being given claimed that people were receiving a third dose at their own risk, after consulting with their doctors, in the hope that once booster shots were allowed. , they will be able to upload and receive their details on CoWin. Certificate for the third dose already received.
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‘Taking a booster dose at personal risk’
As of Thursday morning, 97 per cent people in Karnataka had received the first dose of the vaccine, while 75 per cent had received both injections.
With the spike in Covid-19 cases, especially highly contagious The demand for Omicron variants, booster shots is at peak in the state. The loudest voice in support of booster dose has come from health workers.
As per the state data, 31 cases of the Omicron variant were detected in Karnataka till Thursday.
Most doctors, nurses and hospital staff in Karnataka were vaccinated around 8-10 months ago, between February and April. With COVID-19 cases rising, healthcare professionals fear getting infected, worried that their immunity levels against the virus are declining with each passing week.
“Since the government has not approved yet, we as a hospital do not recommend booster shots to anyone. But many people are taking it at their own personal risk,” a source from the corporate team of a renowned hospital in Bengaluru told ThePrint.
“Doctors, nurses and hospital staff are also taking the third vaccine shot to protect themselves. There is no record or certification for the third shot, but people who are scared of the virus are taking it personally,” the source said.
While the percentage of those who go for the booster dose is still minimal, those opting for it are mostly senior citizens, immunocompromised patients, persons with comorbidities and health workers who worry about exposure to the infection.
“They discuss the pros and cons of getting a booster shot with their doctors and make a decision on it. The information is updated, they hope, once the CoWin portal will allow registration of booster shots,” said the source .
An employee of a private company working in Bengaluru claimed that he had received his first vaccine dose this way even before he was eligible for the shots.
“Some hospitals in Bengaluru were giving shots reserved for ‘frontline workers’ to people who were not yet eligible for vaccination. I contacted one such hospital, and received the first dose the same day. The hospital was keeping the details of recipients in an unofficial register and uploaded it to Covin, with a changed date, once registration opened for those in my category and I got my vaccination certificate,” she said.
The phenomenon is more common in private hospitals where vaccines are lying unused, the source said.
Another private hospital in Bengaluru is getting demand for booster shots not only from individuals but also from corporates, offices, multi-national companies etc. “We are turning people down because the government has not yet authorized the booster shot,” said a source in the communication department of this hospital.
Emphasizing the need for a booster shot, especially for healthcare workers exposed to the infection, Padma Shri awardee physician, Dr Raman Rao, told ThePrint: “With Covaxin and Covishield, we have to take care of our safety. Another full dose is required. It was only because of vaccines that health professionals were protected during the second wave of COVID-19. Now we need another dose. If I had gotten a booster dose, I would have queued too.
Read also: India accepts call to increase third dose to ‘mix and match’ for Covid booster shots
‘Used vaccines helping meet demand for booster doses’
Not only in Karnataka, there has been a demand for booster dose in Mumbai too.
“Vaccines have an expiry date. Currently the vaccine is being wasted and that is why a lot of booster doses are being given,” a doctor at a private hospital in Mumbai, who did not wish to be named, told ThePrint.
Some of those seeking a booster dose have found a way around the CoWin registration issue.
A healthcare worker in Kolkata, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said it was possible to get a third dose by linking a different photo ID and using a different mobile number for registration.
Inputs from Poorva Chitnis and Shreyashi Dey
(Edited by Polomi Banerjee)