COVID-19 Expert committee to discuss permitting Coronavirus booster shots in Delhi today

Amid concerns over the newly detected Omicron variant of the COVID-19 virus is on the rise, the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunization (NTAGI) had held a meeting on Monday, December 6. In its meeting, the members deliberated upon the issues of providing additional doses of COVID vaccine to the immunocompromised sector and the inoculation of kids and failed to reach any consensus. Now, the Subject Expert Committee (SEC) under the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) is set to hold a meeting today, December 10 to discuss the matter of permitting booster doses of Coronavirus vaccines.

This comes after the Serum Institute of India (SII) sought approval from the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) for Covishield as a booster dose recently. The SII cited its adequate stock and demand for booster shots as reasons to use the same in accordance to the emergence of new COVID variants. The NTAGI held a long meeting to discuss the matter and failed to reach any final position on additional COVID-19 vaccine doses and vaccines for children.

According to news agency ANI’s official sources, both issues of using additional COVID-19 vaccine dose and vaccine for children were discussed in the NTAGI meeting while talks of booster dose use was not on the agenda of the meeting. Sources further stated that as studies are yet to be conducted to assert the need and value of the booster dose, the issue was not listed on the agenda of the meeting. Now, the SEC will hold a meeting at 12 pm on Friday to discuss the use of the booster vaccines, following continued requests from health experts in the country to consider the same.

Are COVID-19 Booster doses different from an additional dose? 

Stating the difference between an additional dose of a vaccine and a booster dose, officials explained that an additional shot is given to immunocompromised and immunosuppressed individuals when the primary schedule of inoculation does not provide adequate protection from the disease. While a booster dose is provided to an individual after a pre-defined period when the immune response due to primary vaccination is presumed to have declined. 

Medical experts Dr PS Venkatesh Rao and Dr Zaheer Virani while speaking exclusively to the Republic Media Network had earlier explained the need for a booster dose amid concerns over the Omicron variant. "There is definitely a drop in the efficacy rate of vaccines over six months. With new variants coming up it is only good that a third dose is given. All viral vaccines are a minimum of three doses and I'm sure this (COVID vaccine) will also benefit from a third dose," Dr PS Venkatesh Rao, who is a senior surgeon in Manipal Hospital, Bengaluru, told Republic.

Meanwhile, Dr Zaheer Virani, a senior nephrologist in Maharashtra's COVID task force, echoed Dr Rao in asserting the necessity of a third COVID vaccine dose. "I think booster dose is a way forward. As more variants develop, the vaccine has to be modified. This is the future. It is going to be a regular vaccination like we have for influenza. As of now, those who are only vaccinated with one shot should be given the second shot quicker," he said.

Image: PTI