As the concerns regarding the spread of the Omicron variant are rising across the country, the central government has decided to discuss the possibility of administering an additional COVID-19 vaccine dose to further immunize the masses against a third wave.
The National Technical Group on Immunisation (NTAGI) will be meeting on Monday to discuss whether or not an additional or booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine is required among the population. The panel will also be discussing vaccination and immunization of children.
The officials have clarified that an additional dose of the COVID-19 vaccine is different from a booster dose of the vaccine. A booster dose is given to an individual after a predefined period when the immune response due to primary vaccination is presumed to have declined.
Whereas, the additional dose of the vaccine is given to people who have been facing problems in their immune system and have not developed proper immunity towards COVID-19. The criteria for administering a booster or an additional dose will be discussed by NTAGI.
The comprehensive policies for administering the booster dose and additional dose of the COVID-19 will be discussed by the government panel. Apart from this, the administering of the COVID-19 vaccine to children in India will also be discussed.
Till now, more than 127 crore COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered across the country, but no date has been given to commence the vaccination drive for children. Till now, two vaccines have received emergency use authorization for children, but have not been made available to the public.
Earlier, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya told the Lok Sabha that NTAGI and the National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration for COVID-19 (NEGVAC) were deliberating and considering scientific evidence related to the administering of a booster and additional doses.
