Govt may ok Covid booster dose for all above 18 years soon

The Centre allowed frontline healthcare workers and immuno-compromised seniors to be administered a precautionary dose (third dose) of the COVID-19 vaccines on January 10. In March 2022, the government removed the comorbidities clause and stated that the precautionary dose can be administered to all above 60 years.

Now, reports sources have said that all adults will soon eligible for the booster dose, as COVID-19 infections have witnessed a rise in some countries and Indians are finding it difficult to travel to some countries without a third dose.

At present, three vaccines are administered to adults in India — Covishield, Covaxin and Sputnik V.

Eligibility and dose gap
While allowing citizens to be administered the third dose of the COVID-19 vaccine in January, the health ministry specified that the precautionary dose can only be given nine months after an individual has received the second jab of a COVID-19 vaccine. The health ministry suggested there will be no mix and match and the third dose and it will be the same as the first and second doses.

The vaccination drive for all adults commenced in six states from May 1, 2021. Subsequently, frontline health works and those above 60 with comorbidities were made eligible for the booster dose nine months after they had received the second dose of COVID-19 vaccine. As most of the people were administered Covishield, those between 18 and 60 years of age will be eligible for the booster shot from May as the dose gap for the vaccine was 12 to 16 weeks, but has now been reduced to 8 to 16 weeks.

However, the dose gap for Covaxin is 28 days and as for Sputnik V booster dose, an expert panel of India’s central drug authority on March 5 recommended the permission for conducting phase-3 clinical trials of single-dose COVID-19 vaccine ‘Sputnik Light’ as a booster dose, as earlier reported by CNBC-TV18. Recommendations have been sent to the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) for a final approval.

Efficacy and immunity
In January, a UK study concluded that a third top-up booster dose of a COVID-19 vaccine provides high levels of protection against severe disease from the Omicron variant among older adults.

As per data released through the Phase III clinical trials of both vaccines — Covishield and Covaxin, the efficacy rate of Covishield is 70 percent.

Covaxin reported an efficacy rate of 78 percent, and a 100 percent efficacy rate against ‘severe COVID-19 cases’.

According to a study published in ‘The Lancet Infectious Diseases’ journal, the vaccine effectiveness of Covishield against the COVID-19 infection in fully vaccinated individuals was found to be 63 percent between April and May when the second wave was at its peak in India.

In December last year, the Indian Council of Medical Research’s (ICMR) director general Balram Bhargava said the durability of immunity post Covid-19 infection or post vaccination is at least around nine months, The Times of India had reported.

COVID-19 infections
On March 20, India recorded 1,761 fresh COVID-19 infections, the lowest in around 688 days, while last week it was reported that China added more COVID-19 cases this year than it did in all of 2021.

In western Europe, countries such as Germany, Britain, France and Italy have seen a resurgence of COVID-19 cases due to the more contagious Omicron subvariant BA.2, lifting of restrictions and waning immunity, Mint reported, adding that the Omicron subvariant BA.2 is gaining ground in US as well.

Situation in the west
All adults in the United States have been eligible for the booster dose from November last year. Other countries administering booster doses include Austria, Italy, Germany, UK, Israel, among others.

On March 15, Pfizer and BioNTech requested the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to authorize a fourth dose of their vaccine in persons aged 65 years and above.

Earlier this month, the World Health Organization said it strongly supported “urgent and broad access” to booster doses, while last year it had repeatedly insisted that boosters weren’t necessary for healthy people and they contributed to vaccine inequity, Mint had reported.

Situation in India
The administration of more than 181 crore COVID-19 vaccine doses has contributed to India’s success in the management of the third wave, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said on Monday.

Last week, Dr NK Arora, head of the government panel on vaccination, said that India could help vaccinate the world.

“As I understand, the government has allowed export of the vaccines in whatever quantities required because for us, the pipeline has been drawn out and if there is additional requirement, we know there is sufficient manufacturing capacity. So Indians and India will be taken care of in any condition. But there is plenty now for us to vaccinate the rest of the world,” he had said.

Adar Poonawalla, the chief executive officer of Serum Institute of India , too said the company had plenty of inventory of the Covishield vaccines and it was waiting for clarity from the Indian government on the booster Covid-19 doses.

Poonawalla said that SII was on “standby” to restart Covishield production if orders came in. “Production of Covishield was stopped in December 2021 and it will be restarted if orders come in,” he said.

At present, the Serum Institute of India has an inventory of 200 million Covishield doses, he said. CNBCTV18