Does the Omicron variant make a case for booster doses?

If conversations around booster shots to tackle COVID-19 were loud earlier, the emergence of the new variant, Omicron, has ensured that the clamour for booster shots has reached a fever pitch. The Health Minister stressed that India’s priority is to fully vaccinate all adults and not administer booster shots even though adequate vaccines are available. He also said that any decision on booster doses will be based solely on scientific recommendations. At a recent meeting, the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation maintained that it was not recommending a booster dose for any section of the population, priority groups included, in the absence of evidence. In a conversation moderated by R. Prasad, Chandrakant Lahariya and Satyajit Rath discuss whether booster doses are required, and when and to whom they should first be given when there is enough evidence recommending their use. Here we discuss whether there is scarce evidence that boosters add value to the main purpose. Guests: Immunologist Dr. Satyajit Rath, formerly with the National Institute of Immunology and Dr. Chandrakant Lahariya, physician epidemiologist and vaccine expert. Host: R. Prasad Read the parley article here Search for Parley by The Hindu. Write to us with comments and feedback at [email protected]