In the event of the rapid spread of the Delta variant of Covid, the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) director Dr. Randeep Guleria has said India might have to adopt a booster dose with second-generation Covid-19 vaccines.
Talking to ANI, Dr. Guleria said that a booster dose will be needed as with time, the immunity of disease tends to fall.
“There is waning immunity. We would like to have a booster dose that will cover for various emerging variants. We will have second-generation vaccines which would be better in terms of the immunity they give, covering of the new variants and a having a better overall efficacy,” Guleria said adding that the booster dose will be a second-generation vaccine.”
“You will probably need a booster dose till the end of this year. But that’s only once the population is vaccinated, then the next step will be to administer a booster dose,” he added.
As per reports, Bharat Biotech got the Drug Controller General of India’s nod in April to conduct trials for a third shot, which will be administered as a booster dose. The trial is ongoing and the result of the first trial result is likely to be out soon. The booster shot might become a yearly thing to keep the immune system to the optimum level, reported Hindustan Times.
In an exclusive interview with CNN-News18, Guleria also quelled the fears of some of the parents who were concerned with regards to sending their children to schools. He stated that by September, vaccines should be made available for children and thus the government can start considering the opening schools in a graded manner in areas where the positivity rate is less than 5 percent.
He also suggested that in the event of reopening schools, primary schools should be opened first followed by secondary schools as data suggests that the infection is much lesser in younger children as compared to the older children because their immune system is able to tackle the infection better.
Read all the Latest News, Breaking News and Coronavirus News here.
Comments
0 comment