INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
With new Covid-19 cases steadily declining, many people are wondering whether they need to take a vaccine booster
Government data shows only about 30% of the eligible population has taken a third or booster dose till date
On the other hand there are healthcare workers, the elderly and those with comorbidities who took the booster dose from six months to a year
They want the government to allow a fourth dose for them, given their greater vulnerability to the disease
But senior officials in the health ministry say their focus is on expanding coverage of the third dose, especially among the high-risk
a surge in China, Hong Kong, the US and other countries
Therefore, we do not see any reason to rush on allowing a fourth dose
The US, UK and Australia, among others, have already allowed a fourth dose of the vaccine against Covid-19
The US FDA, in fact, recently proposed that vaccination against Covid-19 could be made an annual exercise with regular updates, as is the
case with influenza vaccines
A similar suggestion was also made by WHO director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in his list of recommendations released on Monday
It stated that countries should plan for integration of Covid-19 vaccination into life-course immunisation programmes
Dr Rajeev Jayadevan, co-chairman of the Covid task force of the Indian Medical Association, said India is witnessing the longest surge-free
The need of the hour is to continue genomic surveillance to spot the Covid trend early on and decide on further steps needed to fight the
Now, multiple options are available, and an intranasal vaccine will also be available in the market soon
Unlike the existing injectable vaccines for Covid, the intranasal vaccine can be delivered through the nose, as a 2-dose series, 4 weeks
called Incovacc in collaboration with Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance (BIRAC), a PSU under the Department of Biotechnology,
Ministry of Science and Technology.
