As India sees a steady decline in its daily coronavirus count, the Center has announced Opening a third or ‘precautionary dose’ for everyone over the age of 18, The restriction is that these doses must be the same as those given before and there must be a gap of at least nine months after the second dose, which means that Covishield and Covaxin will cover almost all of the demands. Experience from around the world over the past two years has shown that the third dose has little additional benefit than the two doses in preventing infection due to the persistently variable character of the virus. But, because it helps increase antibody levels, they are useful in protecting against a serious infection. A major aspect of vaccines is the risk of adverse events following vaccination, and past experience has suggested that some vaccines may induce a higher risk of blood clots in younger populations. Although these cases are extremely limited, they become particularly relevant in India given the size of the population and large numbers of people – young and old – who have already been exposed to the virus. Typically, a technical committee of experts, such as the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunization (NTAGI), weighs the evidence before recommending an approved vaccine for roll-out but effectively restricts the practice in terms of booster doses. has been abandoned, as well as earlier decisions to vaccinate those under 15.
The pandemic is not over and reports from many other countries suggest that no country can consider itself immune from emerging forms. With the reopening of schools, the mask mandate made voluntary and restrictions on international travel in India lifted, it is fitting for the Center to lead the wave of the future, led by a more permeable version of the highly contagious XE version. The report has already surfaced here – and so take steps to buffer against it. However, there is no public information about whether studies have been done to establish whether giving a different vaccine as a third dose is better at increasing antibodies than a repeat vaccine. This ideally should have been a major area of research for the Centre. Another factor that deserves a closer look is progress on vaccines other than Covaxin and Covishield. It appears that Serum Institute of India is gearing up for bigger versions of Kovavax, not Covishield. Covaxin, following the World Health Organization’s recommendation to halt exports pending upgrades to its production facilities, is unlikely to see fresh stocks any time soon. Both vaccines will actually be available at discounted rates in private facilities. Currently there is a shortfall in demand, but can it increase, will the supply be sufficient? The Center needs to be more transparent about the rationale that guides its vaccine policy.