Amid the ongoing debate with regards to the need for a Covid booster dose, a top doctor of ICMR noted that no scientific evidence has emerged from within the country that underlines the need for a booster dose.
Deliberating on the issues, Dr. Samiran Panda told ANI that the ministry of health is guided by the NGATI and scientific evidence basis on which policies are formulated. “Right now the scientific evidence from within the country does not underline the need for a booster dose. Public health considerations are on the priority now.” he was quoted saying.
However, he stressed the need to attain 80 percent coverage or more among the individuals with 2 doses of vaccine. “Reaching out to over 80 percent of eligible individuals is public health priority now,” he said.
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On the other hand, Dr. Tamorish Kole, President of the Asian Society for Emergency Medicine (ASEM) advocated for a third dose to be given to frontline workers on priority. “When we are talking about the third dose, we must prioritise with the low level of immunity, immune-compromised such as cancer patients and patients who received an organ transplant and give them the booster dose first. So, I will urge the government to prioritise the frontline workers to give the third dose.”
This comes at a time when the Centre is focusing on maximum coverage of full vaccination under the ‘Har Ghar Dastak’ program.
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