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Though the SARS-CoV-2 virus is at its lowest ebb in the country, a number of states have relaxed safety measures and economic activity in most sectors is back to pre-Covid levels, the urgency to shield people more securely against the pathogen is far from over. From April 10, all adults who received the second dose of the Covid vaccine nine months ago have become eligible for a “precautionary” third shot. This is a step in the right direction. Though the SARS-CoV-2 virus is at its lowest ebb in the country, a number of states have relaxed safety measures and economic activity in most sectors is back to pre-Covid levels, the urgency to shield people more securely against the pathogen is far from over. A substantial body of literature and evidence from several countries attest to the efficacy of the third dose in boosting immunity against the contagion and preventing serious infection. A number of studies have also shown that the antibodies produced by the first two doses wane over a period of time. While the jury is out on whether a booster dose would confer lifelong protection against emerging variants, there is little doubt that such doses constitute a significant public health response against the virus. The latest extension of the country’s vaccination drive is, therefore, backed by sound science. An important question, however, remains: Has the government adopted the most potent strategy to take the precautionary dose to all sections of the eligible population?
Both government hospitals and private healthcare facilities were involved when the government launched the precautionary vaccination drive in January, for frontline workers, healthcare professionals and people above 60. But the people eligible for the shots after the government’s latest announcement will have to pay to get the jabs from a private hospital. This may not be a wise move for more than one reason. Since the private sector has a limited presence in the healthcare sector in large parts of rural India, the shots will be out of reach for a substantial section of the population. The third shot is, no doubt, priced much lower than the first two doses. However, initial reports suggest that the government does not seem to have worked out the economics to the satisfaction of all players in the vaccine supply chain. Private hospitals with unused stocks of Covaxin and Covishield have, for instance, expressed reluctance to administer the shots at the price fixed by the government – they had procured the vaccines at higher rates. The manufacturers of both vaccines have assured that they will compensate the hospitals for the price differential for the existing stocks. But by all accounts, the confusion does not seem to be over.
At least five homegrown or indigenously manufactured vaccines for adults have received the country’s drug regulator’s approval. Second generation vaccines such as Corbevax and Covovax have shown promise in clinical trials. However, they have not become part of the vaccination project largely because the mix-and-match approach — favoured by experts in several parts of the world — has not received much traction amongst the country’s policymakers. With the precautionary dose project still in infancy, the chance to use these potentially more effective vaccines must not be lost.
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