Amid cry for booster jabs over Omicron scientists are urging India to prioritise double vaccinating its eligible population. Many countries have already started giving booster shots to their citizens in light of the new strain. India, however, is yet to consider booster shots even as several experts in the past few days have urged for the same.
“We have a large proportion of our population in the below 18 age group. Until that is achieved, a uniform policy for a second booster, or a third dose, is not advisable,” an immunologist suggested.
Another official from New Delhi’s National Institute of Immunology (NII), said it is not clear if boosters are needed for any vaccine worldwide yet. “The duration of immune responses and protection are beginning to show differences, too, in recent studies. So I would be loath to jump the gun and say anything very definitive about boosters based on this data.”
Antibody levels in serum will be lower six months down the road than soon after vaccination but that is not the only and adequate evidence of significant lowering of protective immunity which is based on immunological memory.
