In light of the rise in COVID-19 cases in Europe, several medical practitioners in Maharashtra have suggested that a booster dose of the vaccine against coronavirus should be administered to healthcare and frontline workers.
Talking to PTI, Dr Gautam Bhansali, consultant physician of Bombay Hospital, said the count of antibodies in people, who have completed their vaccination some six to eight months ago, is declining.
The count of antibodies in people who have taken the second dose of vaccine some six to eight months ago is going down. We should administer a third dose or booster dose of vaccine to healthcare and frontline workers, as they are more vulnerable to the infection, Dr Bhansali said.
People with co-morbid conditions also face similar challenges, and should be considered for the booster dose, he said.
"European countries are already facing another round COVID-19 cases. As we have introduced more relaxations, we should be ready to face a similar wave of infections somewhere in February or March 2022, he said.
Instead of reacting in panic, we should be prepared for the third wave in India. It is established that vaccine doses help increase immunity against the severity of the infection. It will be good if we think of a booster dose now, Dr Bhansali said.
Speaking in a similar vein, a member of the Maharashtra State COVID-19 task force said, Vaccine doses are available and we should utilise them to make our lives safer.
The issue of vaccine hesitancy is being addressed by the Central and the state governments. Concentrated efforts should be made to keep fresh infections in check, he said.
"One way to achieve this is by administering a third dose of the vaccine to people engaged in healthcare services and government officials. Such a measure will help keep a check on the spread of infection, another doctor said.
(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Dear Reader,
Business Standard has always strived hard to provide up-to-date information and commentary on developments that are of interest to you and have wider political and economic implications for the country and the world. Your encouragement and constant feedback on how to improve our offering have only made our resolve and commitment to these ideals stronger. Even during these difficult times arising out of Covid-19, we continue to remain committed to keeping you informed and updated with credible news, authoritative views and incisive commentary on topical issues of relevance.
We, however, have a request.
As we battle the economic impact of the pandemic, we need your support even more, so that we can continue to offer you more quality content. Our subscription model has seen an encouraging response from many of you, who have subscribed to our online content. More subscription to our online content can only help us achieve the goals of offering you even better and more relevant content. We believe in free, fair and credible journalism. Your support through more subscriptions can help us practise the journalism to which we are committed.
Support quality journalism and subscribe to Business Standard.
Digital Editor
RECOMMENDED FOR YOU