As Many Nations Jump Onto the Booster Bandwagon, India Still Weighs Its Need | Who Says What, A List
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Individuals with weaker immune systems should be offered an additional or booster dose of Covid-19 vaccines, the WHO’s expert panel recommended on Monday. Deliberating on the statement, WHO’s advisory contended that moderately and severely immunocompromised persons should be offered an additional dose.
The expert panel said the reason for recommending this ‘booster’ dose is that such individuals are less likely to respond adequately to vaccination” following a standard primary vaccine series and are at “high risk of severe Covid-19 disease.
However it also made amply clear that it does not recommend a ‘booster’ dose for the general population at large. Though individuals aged 60 and above vaccinated with Chinese jabs namely Sinovac and Sinopharm must be eligible for a third additional ‘booster’ dose.
Countries Offering Booster Doses
As per reports, majorly wealthy countries are jumping on the booster bandwagon. Initially, it was just Israel and Hungary announcing plans for third shots this summer, but now many of the largest nations in Europe, as well as the U.S., have indicated that they will be offering boosters in the fall.Scientists are of the opinion that fear is driving these countries to act quickly who are apprehensive that Delta variant will shoot up infections, after mounting evidence showing that protection from the BioNTech/Pfizer vaccine, the wealthy world’s vaccine of choice, decreases over time.
Also Read: In Kerala, 82.6% Population Aged 18-plus, 40% Children have Antibodies: Sero Survey
Israel was the first country to make a third booster dose of an mRNA vaccine against COVID-19 available for the elderly, before expanding to those 12 years or older, and a new large population study of the initial offering confirms that it reduced infection rate compared with a 2-dose vaccination regimen.
Austria
Austria said that a booster vaccine will be offered six to nine months after the first course of vaccination to residents of care homes, people aged 65 and over, those with certain illnesses that put them at increased risk of severe Covid-19 and anyone who received either a Johnson & Johnson or Oxford/AstraZeneca shot as their initial vaccine. Everyone else over 18 years old can receive a third vaccine nine to 12 months after their last dose. The booster dose is said to be rolled out from October 17 onwards, but Health Minister Wolfgang Mückstein has said that for some groups, such as immunocompromised people, they could potentially get a third dose sooner after consultation with their doctor.
Belgium
Belgium announced on August 18 that it would give boosters to the immunocompromised, a group that consists of between 300,000 and 400,000 people. These people comprise of those who are HIV-positive and have low CD4 counts, patients with blood cancer and people who have had an organ transplant. Coming fall, the bosster doses is said to be rolled out. BioNTech/Pfizer or Moderna’s mRNA vaccines as booster doses will be administered.
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic had announced that it would offer a booster, starting from September 20, to anyone who had previously been vaccinated with either a single or double dose. The country strongly recommended boosters for people over 60.
France
France began giving booster jabs of COVID-19 vaccines from September. The recipients will be those over the age of 65 and people with underlying health conditions, providing a minimum of six months has passed since they got fully vaccinated with the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine.Those who received the single-dose Johnson & Johnson jab can get a booster shot of Pfizer or Moderna at least four weeks after they first got vaccinated.France’s health ministry said about 18 million people are estimated to be eligible for the booster shot.
Germany
Germany’s vaccine advisory committee on Thursday endorsed Covid-19 booster shots for those 70 years and older as well as medical staff interacting with patients, even as the nation’s health system is already giving boosters to those over 60 since September 2021.
Hungary
Hungary is offering a third dose to anyone who wants one, so long as the booster is at least four months after their last dose. But the country’s chief medical officer is particularly encouraging the elderly, those with a chronic illness or those who are immunocompromised to come forward. Booster vaccines have been available since the beginning of August. The decision on what vaccine to give will be made by the doctor administering the shot but the government has issued official guidance calling for a mix-and-match approach. That means that if someone received a viral-vector vaccine made by Oxford/AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson or Sputnik V, they now receive either an mRNA vaccine or an inactivated vaccine, like Sinopharm’s.
Lithuania
Lithuania has authorized a third dose for immunocompromised patients, with this group able to get a booster 180 days after their second dose. The health ministry has said that it is likely that other people who want a third dose would be eligible in the fourth quarter. It started earlier in August.
Luxembourg
Immunocompromised people are the only group given the chance to have a booster vaccine in Luxembourg, and there isn’t a plan to open up the offer to the wider population yet. But the government has said that it is considering a vaccine for people over a certain age or for people living in care homes. The rollout for immunocompromised people has already begun.
Sweden
Sweden has announced a booster program for people who are at risk of severe illness from the virus, such as the elderly.The rollout for vulnerable people will begin this fall. However, the Swedish Public Health Agency has said that it expects a third dose to be given to the majority of adults only next year.
USA
More than 7 million Americans have received a booster dose in the U.S. as of Saturday according to the latest data available from the CDC. Members on independent committees of the FDA and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said at the time they were frustrated that only Pfizer recipients would be eligible to get the extra shots, leaving out millions of Americans who got Moderna’s or J&J’s shots. The Biden administration hopes boosting the U.S. population will also continue to ensure long-term and durable protection against severe disease, hospitalization and death as the fast-moving delta variant spreads. Millions of Americans will be one step closer to receiving a Covid-19 booster shot this week when a key Food and Drug Administration advisory panel meets Thursday and Friday to debate extra doses of the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines.
UK
Booster doses of a covid-19 vaccine are to be offered to the highest risk groups in the UK as a result of new advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation. A booster dose will be offered to all people who were vaccinated during phase 1 of the vaccine programme, no earlier than six months after they received their second dose. The JCVI advises a preference for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine regardless of which vaccine someone had for their primary doses. This follows data from the Cov-boost trial that indicated that this vaccine is well tolerated as a third dose and provides a strong booster response.
Cambodia
Cambodia started on Aug. 12 offering AstraZeneca booster shots to those who have received the inactivated virus vaccines developed by Sinopharm and Sinovac.
Chile
Chile began on Aug. 11 administering booster shots to those already inoculated with Sinovac’s vaccine in a bid to lock in early success following one of the world’s fastest mass vaccination drives.
China
By the end of October, the country is expected to complete giving regular regimen doses to 1.1 billion people as well as booster shots to limited groups such as the elderly and high-risk employees.
Denmark
Danes with weak immune systems such as cancer patients receiving chemotherapy, or those with organ transplants, will soon be recommended to get a COVID-19 vaccine booster, the Danish Health Authority said on Aug. 20.
Finland
The Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare recommended on Sept. 8 that third coronavirus vaccine doses be first administered to people aged 12 or more with weakened immune systems.
Indonesia
Indonesia started giving booster shots produced by Moderna to medical workers in July and is considering extra doses for wider use.
Italy
Italy’s medicines agency AIFA said on Sept. 9 it had approved the use of a third dose for immunocompromised people, those over 80 years old, nursing home residents, and front-line health workers frequently exposed to the virus.
Though many countries are reaping benefits of rolling out a booster vaccination campaign, there are still some countries who stay divided on their decision to offer booster shots. Some studies suggest that the protection that the vaccines provide against infection and mild disease may be waning. But they remain highly effective at preventing the worst outcomes, including severe disease and death. Scientists however have said that a blanket recommendation for boosters is premature.
But the decision by some nations to give booster shots to healthy vaccinated people when many countries have nascent vaccination programs has raised ethical questions.
India’s Stand on Booster Doses
Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) hasn’t approved a booster dose in India. Experts there feel there is no necessity of a booster dose as yet since enough study is not done on the subject. Dr Gagandeep Kang, noted virologist and microbiologist backed this decision stating whether people will develop more antibodies with booster dose is yet unknown. Hence India need not go for a booster dose at present. Senior doctors in the Technical Advisory Committee for management of COVID-19 in Karnataka opined that a booster dose be given to health care workers and frontline warriors if not everyone.
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