Step up efforts on third dose of Covid vaccine

The government’s decision to reduce the interval between the second dose of Covid-19 vaccination and the third dose, called the precaution dose, from nine months to six months should give a welcome boost to the flagging vaccination programme. The government has said that its decision is based on “evolving scientific evidence and global practices”. But even when the decision on the third dose was taken, it was known that a six-month gap was ideal. Many experts had called for that on the ground that the immunity gained from vaccinations started waning after six months. So, a booster dose after a six-month gap would have provided the best protection. From the beginning, the government has shifted its position a few times on the vaccine schedule on unconvincing grounds. But it has done well to finally announce the right schedule for the third dose.

The government now needs to encourage more people to take the third dose. Three months after all adults were declared eligible to take the third dose, only one in five persons has taken the jab. This is poor coverage at a time when crores of people need enhancement of their immunity as the virus continues to circulate in the population. Large quantities of vaccines are going to waste. If there were production and distribution issues once, it is a lack of reception which is constraining the vaccination programme now. Though there is an improvement in the number of people seeking the third dose after reports of a surge in cases started appearing, the demand for the third dose is still low. It is a creditable achievement that the two-dose vaccination programme has covered 90% of the population, but the effort should be extended to the third dose.

The Omicron variant may be mild in its impact but its known sub-variants, BA.4 and BA.5, are more contagious. Yet another sub-variant, BA.2.75, has been detected in India and some other countries and is being monitored. There are other variants also which are under scrutiny. It should be noted that new variants will keep emerging as long as the virus is in circulation. Vaccination remains the best defence against it, apart from protocols like mask-wearing and social distancing. Experts are also of the view that the country should go in for heterogeneous booster shots which involve the use of a vaccine different from the one used for the first two doses. They have said that it would make the booster more efficient. The booster programme should also target those with co-morbidities, who are more vulnerable than others.