COVID-19: Here are 7 reasons why India needs a booster shot of vaccine

With India recording, a surge of Omicron cases, discussions and deliberations are underway over the possible rollout of booster doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. According to the data shared by the Union Health Ministry, Maharashtra is leading the Omicron cases chart with a tally of 65 cases so far. Delhi has recorded 54, while Telangana registered 20 cases, Karnataka 19, Rajasthan 18, Kerala 15 and Gujarat 14 cases so far. As experts warn India to prepare itself for "any eventuality," here are 7 reasons why India needs the booster.

1. Study says AstraZeneca protection wanes after 3 months 

A study in UK's reputed science journal Lancet has found that the protection against the COVID virus wanes three months after the second vaccine dose. Batting for consideration to provide booster vaccine doses for people who have received Covishield doses, Lancet states that there is waning vaccine protection of Covishield ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 against hospital admissions and deaths in both Scotland and Brazil.

2. 10550% jump in Omicron in 20 days in India

On 2 December, India detected its first two cases of Omicron in Karnataka. Over the next few days, it reported more cases from the states of Gujarat and Maharashtra. Now, 20 days down the line, India has recorded at least 213 cases of the Omicron variant of Coronavirus, marking a 10550% increase in the number of Omicron infections across 15 states and UTs.

3. Omicron has 3x more transmissibility than delta variant

Amid the surging cases, the Centre has informed States that the new variant of COVID-19 is at least three times more transmissible than the Delta strain. Issuing a notice, the Centre has asked States to ensure prompt and focused action if there is any sign of a surge. Additionally, Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan has said that a close watch must be kept on districts where test positivity has been more than 10% over the past week or where 40% Oxygen-supported or ICU beds are occupied.

4. Omicron cases doubling at a rate of 1.5-3 days

The Omicron variant has been reported in 89 countries with the number of cases is doubling in 1.5 to 3 days in areas with community transmission, the World Health Organization (WHO has informed. The global health body has predicted that Omicron is spreading rapidly in countries with "high levels of population immunity," however it still remains unclear if this is due to the virus' ability to evade immunity, its inherent transmissibility or both.

5. Study shows drop in antibodies within 4 months of complete vaccination 

A study at ICMR’s Regional Medical Research Centre in Bhubaneswar has shown that on 614 fully vaccinated health workers, there is a significant drop in COVID antibodies within four months after complete vaccination. The study dated September 2021, has warned that there may be a significant decline of antibody post 2 months and 4 months among Covaxin and Covishield recipients after two doses of the vaccines, thereby strengthening the argument for booster doses.

6. Experts warn of UK-like surge with 1.4 million cases per day

Since the detection of its first case of Omicron, Britain has been reporting massive surges in its daily case tally, which experts say could be 'just the tip of the iceberg'. The number of Omicron cases recorded across the UK hit almost 25,000 as of Friday, up by more than 10,000 cases from 24 hours earlier, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said. Given the trajectory that the United Kingdom witnessed, experts have warned that India could also witness a similar surge, which may begin from February 2022.

7. Children not yet vaccinated

Fears of a third wave are also ignited by the fact that a large section of the population- in the pediatric age continue to remain unvaccinated. Meanwhile, only 57% of India is fully vaccinated, while about 87% of India’s adults have got at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. This gives rise to the strong need to strengthen the immunity of the adult population, by completing the second dose of vaccine rollout and possibly administering a booster shot to the vulnerable section.