New Delhi: The issue of giving ‘extra’ doses of anti-Covid-19 vaccine to persons with weakened immunity will be considered in the meeting of the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunization (NTAGI) to be held on December 6. This information was given by official sources. According to officials, an additional dose of the vaccine is different from the booster dose.
Officials explained that such a person is given a booster dose after a predetermined period when it is believed that the immune response to the primary vaccination has decreased, while additional doses are given to individuals with weakened immunity. When the first dose vaccination does not provide adequate protection against infection and disease. Recently, the Serum Institute of India (SII) had sought approval from the drug regulator for Covishield as a booster dose against coronavirus infection.
Prakash Kumar Singh, Director of Government and Regulatory Affairs at SII, said in an application to the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) that the UK’s Drug and Health Care Products Regulatory Agency has already approved a booster dose of the AstraZeneca CHADOX1 nCoV-19 vaccine. given. He also mentioned that there is no dearth of Covishield in India and in view of the emergence of new variants, there is a demand for booster doses for those who have already taken two doses.
In its November 29 bulletin, the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG) recommended a booster dose of COVID-19 vaccines for people over the age of 40, with first priority being given to those who have been infected. The risk of getting is highest.
However, on Saturday it said it was not recommended for a national immunization program as many more scientific experiments are needed to assess its impact.
Health Minister gave information in Lok Sabha regarding booster dose
Regarding booster dose, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya had recently informed the Lok Sabha that the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunization (NTAGI) and the National Expert Group on COVID-19 Vaccination (NEGVAC) are considering scientific evidence related to this aspect. are.
Studying the need for a booster dose
An official source said, “For now, the issue of booster dose is not on the agenda as studies are being done to ascertain its need and importance. The issue of giving additional doses of Kovid-19 to people with weakened immunity will be considered in the meeting of the NTAGI to be held on December 6.
Such category includes patients undergoing cancer treatment, transplant patients, AIDS patients, etc., and requires additional doses (third dose) of vaccine to improve their immunity.
Experts said that despite the emergence of new forms such as Omicron, vaccination remains one of the strongest methods of protection against disease and infection. The Union Health Ministry said that although there is no evidence that existing vaccines do not work on the omicron form of SARS-CoV-2, some mutations detected may reduce the vaccine’s effectiveness.
