4th Covid vaccine dose effective in protecting people over 60: Study
April 16, 2022 20:40 ISTThe study found that a fourth dose can reduce the possibilities of symptomatic infection, hospitalisation, serious illness and mortality among the elders.
The study found that a fourth dose can reduce the possibilities of symptomatic infection, hospitalisation, serious illness and mortality among the elders.
After the announcement, vaccine maker Serum Institute of India (SII) said the precaution dose of its Covishield vaccine will be priced at Rs 600 per shot for eligible individuals.
SII CEO Adar Poonawalla also welcomed the government’s move to allow precaution dose of the vaccine to all aged above 18 years at private vaccination centres, saying it will further provide long-term protection against the virus, and aid ease of travel.
India's drug regulator had approved Covovax for restricted use in emergency situations in adults on December 28 and in the 12-17 age group, subject to certain conditions, on March 9.
"This evidence shows that vaccination reduces this risk substantially in 5 to 11-year-olds. And while vaccination provided adolescents with lower protection against hospitalisation with Omicron versus Delta, it prevented critical illness from both variants," the researcher said.
With scheduled international flights set to resume from Sunday, the Ministry of External Affairs recently highlighted the travel restrictions being enforced by certain countries in view of the requirement of a third/booster dose.
Notably, DCGI initially granted emergency use authorization for Covovax for adults of 18 years old and above in December. In addition, Covovax has also received Emergency Use Listing (EUL) from the WHO.
Health experts recommend that for better effectiveness of the vaccines people should not only get the complete dosage but also keep in mind the recommended gap duration between each dose. Know more about it here.
The company has also developed an Omicron-specific vaccine which will be tested on humans for efficacy and immunogenicity.
It is now recommended that all adults and teenagers, especially those who are immunocompromised, receive a third dose of Covid vaccine to ensure an optimal immune response.
Prakash Kumar Singh, Director, Government and Regulatory Affairs at SII had last week submitted an application to DCGI seeking nod for phase-3, observer-blind, randomised, controlled study to evaluate the safety and immunogenicity of Covovax as booster dose.
Corbevax is India's first indigenously developed Receptor Binding Domain (RBD) Protein sub-unit vaccine against COVID-19.
The protest, which was first aimed at a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for cross-border truckers but also encompassed fury over the range of COVID-19 restrictions and hatred of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, reflected the spread of disinformation in Canada and simmering populist and right-wing anger.
Corbevax is India's first indigenously developed RBD protein subunit vaccine. However, the government has still not taken a decision on vaccinating those aged below 15 years.
Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said the group of experts has so far not made any recommendation on the vaccination of this category.
Based on all their findings, the researchers estimated the likely rates of vaccine hesitancy according to childhood trauma and age: these ranged from around 3.5 per cent among those aged 70 and above with no experience of childhood adversity, to 38 per cent among 18-29 year olds who had experienced 4 or more types of childhood trauma.
Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said in a statement that company scientists believe this age group ultimately will need three of the extra low-dose shots but that FDA action now could let parents begin the vaccination process while awaiting a final decision.
The research, published in the journal Nature on Jan 31, demonstrated that the vaccines induce this protection through cellular immunity or the production of protective immune cells, such as so-called killer and memory cells.
Notably, India's nationwide COVID-19 vaccination drive was started on January 16, 2021, and the vaccination coverage has exceeded 166.03 crores to date.
The next variant of Covid may also evade vaccine protections even more, making the existing vaccines even less effective. According to Dr Mike Ryan, WHO's director of emergency programmes, the virus will continue to evolve before it settles into a pattern.
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