Covid19 vaccine: ICMR recommends booster shot after nine months of 2nd dose

The ICMR chief Balram Bhargava told a parliamentary committee that a booster shot nine months after both doses of the Covid vaccine can be administered, reported India Today.

The Cabinet Secretariat will hold a review meeting on Omicron strain, Covid-19 Vaccines and the present state of the pandemic at 2:30 pm on Saturday.

A recent study by an ICMR team on Covishield concluded that Covishield Covid-19 vaccine as a booster shot was helpful as the effect of the vaccine waned against the Delta derivatives.

"Our findings suggest that Covishield vaccine was able to neutralize Delta derivatives and prevent serious disease and fatality among breakthrough cases. A booster dose vaccination of Covid-19 naïve vaccinees would achieve a protective immune response to fight against emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants," an excerpt from the paper reads, according to media reports.

Earlier, in a press conference, Bhargava, urged media to help prevent spread panic about the Omicron variant. "Omicron is not burdening the health care system, " he said.

He told the media persons that the treatment for infections caused by the Omicron variant remains the same.

Meanwhile, Health Minister Mansukh Mandavia on booster doses said, "We have two expert groups in the country, who advise us on vaccination. We take advise from the expert group on vaccination and other related issues."

He said already "86% of first doses have already been given, which is a record; around 7 crore doses still lying with states and UTs."

The new variant has been detected in 50 countries and scientists are studying the effect of vaccine on the new variant. 

"We have 36 genome sequencing labs in the country where we can do 36,000 genome sequencing," he said.