A month ago, there wasn’t irrefutable evidence in favour of booster shots of Covid-19 vaccines. Indeed, with no scientific basis, they seemed morally and ethically wrong in the face of vaccine inequity. That moral and ethical issue stays — but scientific evidence is tilting in favour of boosters. A recent study, released Friday by the United Kingdom’s Health Security Agency showed that the standard two-dose regime of the AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine provided almost no protection against symptomatic Covid-19 caused by the
A month ago, there wasn’t irrefutable evidence in favour of booster shots of Covid-19 vaccines. Indeed, with no scientific basis, they seemed morally and ethically wrong in the face of vaccine inequity. That moral and ethical issue stays — but scientific evidence is tilting in favour of boosters. A recent study, released Friday by the United Kingdom’s Health Security Agency showed that the standard two-dose regime of the AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine provided almost no protection against symptomatic Covid-19 caused by the Omicron variant of the Sars-CoV-2 virus when compared to the protection they provide against Delta (69%). But a booster dose (of the same vaccine) increased their efficacy to 71%.
This is an early and small study, but it is a real-world one. And it is on a vaccine whose Indian version, Covishield, has been the mainstay of the country’s vaccination drive. India has, thus far, fully vaccinated 55% of its adult population and partially vaccinated another 31%. Cases are down, the economy has recovered, and most economic and mobility indices are at or above pre-pandemic levels. India is also headed for state elections, including in populous Uttar Pradesh.
Minus the gains on the vaccine front, and the magnitude of the recovery, there are similarities between where the country is now and where it was in February, just ahead of the bruising second wave. This is the right time for India to approve (even mandate) booster shots, and also the right time for it to place advance orders with Covishield-maker Serum Institute which has said it is considering reducing production by a half. And it is the right time for it to start vaccinating the 150-million young people in the 12-18 age group. There should be no delay in this.
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