Clearing the air on whether a booster vaccine dose will be given after two doses, the country’s apex health research institute said that a there were no such plans. Moreover, the Ministry has now urged states where many healthcare workers have not yet got their second dose vaccine to speed up the process by using line-lists generated by the Co-WIN platform.
Speaking to the media, Balram Bhargava, director general of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) said that studies in India have also found that more than 95 per cent of the antibodies (generated due to vaccination) persist for over a year.
Bhargava said: “Currently, the talk of booster is not pertinent. The call of the hour is to give the two-dose vaccination, or which is the full vaccination. That is our agenda and that has to be continued.”
He further added that “We have had some studies in India, including Bangalore, where some hospitals have found that more than 95 per cent of the antibodies persist for over a year. Therefore, the talk of booster dose is not pertinent.”
Meanwhile, around 85 per cent of healthcare workers have got their second Covid-19 vaccine dose, even though the healthcare worker vaccination was prioritised by India. Around 99 per cent of them have got their first dose compared to 100 per cent frontline workers who have received their first shot.