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No booster dose until eligible population in Pune fully vaccinated: Ajit Pawar
Pawar, speaking after the weekly Covid review meeting in Pune, also reiterated that in Pune district, priority will be given to those who are due for their second dose of the vaccine
Deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar said on Friday that while the state government was not averse to the idea of a “booster dose” of vaccines against Covid-19, this can only be thought of only after the entire eligible population is fully vaccinated.
No specific recommendation regarding a Covid-19 vaccine booster dose has been made by the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (NTAGI) or the National expert group on vaccine administration for Covid (NEGVAC).
Ajit Pawar, speaking after the weekly Covid review meeting in Pune, also reiterated that in Pune district, priority will be given to those who are due for their second dose of the vaccine.
Last week, Cyrus Poonawalla founder of the Serum Institute of India (SII) advocated the need of a booster dose, six months after the second dose.
“At the Covid review meet, some pressed for a booster dose, but before we move forward, eligible people in Pune and also in the state should get fully vaccinated. Then we can think of a booster dose. Many still haven’t received the first dose. The state government and I, personally, agree that a booster dose should be given,” said Ajit Pawar.
Answering a question in the Rajya Sabha, Dr Bharati Pawar, minister of state for health and family welfare, on July 27, said, “There are some media reports of some countries considering booster doses of Covid-19 vaccine. The NTAGI and NEGVAC are deliberating and considering scientific evidence related to the dose schedule of Covid-19 vaccines. So far, no specific recommendation regarding a Covid-19 vaccine booster dose has been made by NTAGI or NEGVAC.”
However, experts feel that in the future booster shots could be recommended in India.
Earlier, in an interview with India Science, a channel of the department of science and technology, Dr Priya Abraham, director, National Institute of Virology (NIV) said a booster dose will definitely be recommended in India in future.
“Studies on booster doses have been going on overseas and at least seven different vaccines have been tried for a booster dose. Now, WHO has put a stop to it till more countries catch up with vaccinations. This is because there is an alarming vaccine gap between high-income and low-income countries. In the future, recommendations for boosters will definitely come,” said Dr Abraham.
Maharashtra is still dealing with a shortage of vaccine stocks.
“Experts have stated that the second dose should be administered in the prescribed time limit after the first dose. If this doesn’t happen then the effectiveness of the vaccine may go down. So as of now for Pune, we have decided to prioritise second doses,” said Ajit Pawar.
