The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) director Dr. Randeep Guleria in the event of the rapid spread of the Delta variant of Covid-19, has said India might have to adopt a booster dose with second-generation Covid-19 vaccines.
Dr. Guleria while talking to ANI, said that a booster dose will be needed as with time, the immunity of disease tends to fall.
Adding that the booster dose will be a second-generation vaccine Guleria said, “There is waning immunity. We would like to have a booster dose that will cover for various emerging variants. We will have second-generation vaccines which would be better in terms of the immunity they give, covering of the new variants and a having a better overall efficacy.”
“You will probably need a booster dose till the end of this year. But that’s only once the population is vaccinated, then the next step will be to administer a booster dose,” he added.
In an exclusive interview with CNN-News18, Guleria also quashed the fears of some of the parents who were concerned with regards to sending their children to schools.
He informed that by September, vaccines should be made available for children and thus the government can start considering the opening schools in a categorized manner in areas where the positivity rate is less than 5 percent. In the event of reopening schools, primary schools should be opened first followed by secondary schools as data suggests that the infection is much lesser in younger children as compared to the older children because their immune system is able to tackle the infection better, he suggested.
As per reports, Bharat Biotech got the Drug Controller General of India’s nod in April to conduct trials for a third shot, which will be administered as a booster dose. The trial is ongoing and the result of the first trial result is likely to be out soon. The booster shot might become a yearly thing to keep the immune system to the optimum level, reported Hindustan Times.