Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi, Dec.10: The Subject Expert Committee (SEC) will meet today to make a final decision on whether or not to approve booster doses of Covid-19 vaccinations in the face of the mounting Omicron threat.
The meeting comes only days after the Serum Institute of India (SII) asked the Drugs Controller General of India (DGCI) for approval to use its Covishield vaccine as a booster dosage. Due to the advent of new coronavirus strains, the Pune-based Biotechnology Company cited enough stock of the vaccine in the country and required a booster injection.
The SII highlighted in its application that the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency of the United Kingdom had already approved the booster dosage of AstraZeneca vaccine. The vaccination Covishield is manufactured in India.
Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories has also applied for approval to conduct a Phase 3-study to assess the efficacy and safety of the Sputnik Light vaccine as a booster. Sputnik Light, in particular, has yet to gain emergency use authorization from the DGCI.
The INSACOG suggested a booster dose of COVID-19 vaccinations for adults over 40 years old last month, with high-risk and high-exposure populations receiving priority. However, it then stated that their proposal was not for the national vaccination programme since further scientific research is needed to examine its effectiveness.
The recent development of highly transmissible SARS-CoV-2 variants has prompted discussions about booster doses to improve immunity and provide long-term protection against COVID-19. It’s thought that once a person has been vaccinated against COVID-19, the protection against the virus will wane over time and it will be less effective against the virus. As a result, after the second dose, a booster dose is required.
A booster dose of COVID-19 vaccinations, given months after primary immunisation, is predicted to increase viral immunity, including neutralising power against ‘variants of concern.’