COVID: No final consensus on additional vaccine dose & inoculation of kids at NTAGI meet

As vaccination remains the strongest shield known against Coronavirus infections, the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunization (NTAGI) on Monday, December 6, in its meeting deliberated upon the issues of providing additional doses of COVID vaccine to the immunocompromised sector and the inoculation of kids. According to official sources, since the members couldn't reach any consensus, no final recommendation was made on the issue. 

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.

Are Additional dose and Booster dose different? 

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. 

According to sources, ''The issue of administering an additional dose of COVID-19 to immunocompromised and immunosuppressed individuals and vaccination of children against COVID-19 were deliberated upon in the meeting of NTAGI."

People who come under the immunocompromised and immunosuppressed categories include cancer patients on therapy, transplants patients, and AIDS patients and they might need an additional dose of vaccine to improve their protection against the virus. 

Lately, the Serum Institute of India (SII) sought approval of the Drug Regulator for providing Covishield as a booster dose against Coronavirus infections. On November 29, in its bulletin, the INSACOG recommended a booster dose of COVID-19 vaccines for people aged above 40 years with a preference to high-risk and high-exposure populations.

On December 5, it mentioned that as many more scientific experiments are required to assess its impact, their recommendation will not be applicable for the national immunisation programme. 

Referring to administering booster doses, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya told the Lok Sabha that the NTAGI and the National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration for COVID-19 (NEGVAC) are looking for the scientific evidence related to it to make a decision.

(With PTI inputs)

Image: AP/Pixabay/Representative