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The COVID booster dose will be rolled out for all adults from Sunday. Announcing the same, Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Friday noted that it is about "Adding an extra layer of safety." And with many wondering whether booster doses can provide better protection against new COVID variants, including Omicron and XE, both Covaxin and Covishied makers assured in affirmation.
A recent study by Bharat Biotech and ICMR showed that Covaxin can give protection against Omicron and other COVID variants if the third vaccine dose is taken around 6 months after the first two doses. Dr Gajanan Sakpal, another senior scientist at the NIV, said, as reported by PTI, “The antibody response was higher for participants administered with booster doses for B.1 and the VoCs -- Delta, Beta and Omicron variants."
This indicates that the booster dose of Covaxin robustly triggered neutralising antibody responses and efficiently neutralised the multiple variants of SARS-CoV-2, Sakpal said.
Meanwhile, Adar Poonawalla, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Serum Institute of India (SII), said, "Yes our vaccines will work, but you will have to take booster for the future variant."
However, health experts are of the opinion that ‘precaution dose’ is not a substitute for other precautionary measures.
"The pandemic is still going on and we will definitely see further waves, but the timings of the waves cannot be predicted," the head of the research cell at the Indian Medical Association (IMA), Kochi, Dr Rajeev Jayadevan told PTI and raised caution that people must continue wearing masks, follow social distancing. He further added that techniques like contact tracing and testing should not be done away with as yet.
Pointing out the vaccine has significantly reduced the COVID-related fatalities and severity of the disease, he said, "Public should not think that if they have taken a booster dose then everything will be fine. All measures need to be continued and followed."
"It is not a substitute for other (precautionary) measures," he added.
(With inputs from agencies)
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