New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi Saturday announced That frontline workers, people with comorbidities and those above 60 years of age will be eligible for a booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine from January 10.
He also said that immunization of children in the age group of 15 to 18 years will start from January 3. ICMR and Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin have now been granted emergency use authorization for children above 12 years of age.
In his address to the nation on Saturday night, the PM said that the decision has been taken in consultation with scientific advisors.
The decision comes amid rising demand for booster doses, as fears of a new surge in emerging coronavirus drugs such as Omron drive.
Several studies, including by some researchers from the Indian government, have indicated that vaccine-induced protection diminishes after a few months, and coronavirus variants such as Delta and Omicron reduce the efficacy of vaccines.
During this, there were reports suggesting that health workers slyly started taking booster doses of the vaccine Amidst fears of the new Omicron variant spreading.
However, at the health ministry briefing, officials insisted week after week that India would focus on immunizing the entire population with two doses before introducing a booster dose.
Read also: Pfizer shots may better protect against pre-infection omicrons, South African scientists say
Booster Dose Recommended
Earlier this month, INSACOG – a network of monitoring genome sequencing laboratories in India – said in its bulletin that those over 40, especially those at high risk of exposure, should get booster shots,
But within two days the body took a U-turn. and said that its earlier statement “was not a recommendation or suggestion for a booster dose in the national immunization programme”.
Similarly, in the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) study of the efficacy of the Kovishield vaccine, researchers recommended As a booster dose they found lower antibody levels to the delta variant.
Some experts who previously advocated against the use of booster doses have changed their stance as the Omron version emerged.
Gautam Menon, professor of physics and biology at Ashoka University in Sonepat, told ThePrint in an earlier interview, “Earlier, I would have said that it is important 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 a booster dose on priority rather than waiting for the entire population to be vaccinated.”
dwindling security
Several studies conducted by the ICMR have shown that the delta variant reduces the efficacy of the vaccine, but the researchers said the antibody levels were high enough to continue to protect people from severe disease.
Although there are no data on the efficacy of a booster dose of Covaxin, several studies already support the use of a Covishield booster.
In a study published in the Lancet, a team of researchers found that The protection offered by the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine – which is marketed in India as Covishield – declines three months after receiving the second dose. It suggested that there is a need for booster programs to help maintain protection against serious disease among those vaccinated with CovShield.
The study found that the decline in effectiveness began to appear at about three months, when the risk of hospitalization and death doubled two weeks after the second dose. After five months, the risk increased five-fold compared to two weeks after the second dose.
Meanwhile, researchers from the University of Oxford have got it Laboratory studies have found that a booster dose of the CoviShield vaccine can significantly increase the level of antibodies against the Omicron variant.
In the study, which has not yet been peer-reviewed, researchers found that people who received a third dose of CoviShield had higher levels of neutralizing antibodies than individuals who received two doses of the vaccine. Was.
According to the researchers, these results support the use of third-dose boosters as part of national vaccine strategies, specifically to limit the spread of forms of concern, including Omicron.
Additionally, a study published in the Lancet earlier this month found that A booster dose of six COVID-19 vaccines is safe and elicits a strong immune response in fully vaccinated people.
The study was conducted on people who were vaccinated with either Covishield or Pfizer-BioNTech jabs. This was the first randomized trial of a booster given after two doses of either vaccine.
The study looked at the safety, immune response and side effects of seven vaccines as boosters — Oxford-AstraZeneca, Pfizer-BioNtech, Novavax, Janssen, Moderna, Valneva and CureVac.
All booster vaccines increased the immune response when administered after two doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca shots. Of those who received two doses of the Pfizer-BioEntech vaccine, only Oxford-AstraZeneca, Pfizer-BioEntech, Moderna, Novavax, Janssen and CureVac induced an immune response.
In India, the Christian Medical College (CMC), Vellore, is currently conducting a clinical trial to evaluate the efficacy of booster doses.
(Edited by Rohan Manoj)