Covid booster jab not needed, say experts; high-risk groups need protection

Public health experts recommend a risk-based Covid response focused on the elderly and immunocompromised instead of mass booster vaccination campaigns

Amid concerns over the rise in Covid cases in the past month, doctors and public health experts believe that India might benefit from a focused approach by protecting high-risk groups from infection despite pushing for a mass booster dose coverage.  

 

This comes even as India reported 6,133 active Covid cases as of June 8, a tally which stood at just 35 on April 28, according to data from the Covid dashboard of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. 

 

Public health expert Dr K Srinath Reddy said that the focus should be on protecting vulnerable population groups such as the elderly, those with comorbidities and immunocompromised, through Covid-appropriate behaviour like masking and avoiding crowds so that they do not get infected. 

 

Sabine Kapasi, advisor, public health and healthcare services and strategist with the United Nations Covid-19 task force, added that prioritising booster shots for the elderly and immunocompromised makes the most sense as it safeguards those at highest risk while making efficient use of our resources. 

  “Given the widespread hybrid immunity from prior infections and primary vaccinations, a mass campaign is not urgent unless we see a severe new variant,” she said. 

Reddy added that taking a booster can be optional, but it cannot be taken as a mandated policy.

 

To date, over 2.2 billion doses of Covid vaccines have been administered in the country, according to the government’s CoWIN dashboard. These mainly include AstraZeneca’s Covishield and Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin. 

While the numbers of first and second doses stand at 1.02 billion and 951 million, respectively, only 227 million booster doses have been administered till now.   

 

A senior health ministry official told Business Standard that there is no direction from the Centre as of now for a mass drive. “Depending on the needs of individuals, doctors may recommend booster doses on a case-by-case basis,” he said.

 

Some experts, however, added that while herd immunity has likely played a key role in reducing the severity and spread of recent Covid waves, it may no longer be sufficient to prevent future surges.

Health expert Dr Sameer Bhati said while the country achieved comprehensive coverage with first and second doses through a systematic approach, immunity naturally wanes over time. 

 

“This creates a vulnerable population whose protection may have diminished significantly over the past 12 to 18 months,” he added. 

 

With seasonal spikes and dips in Covid cases now expected, doctors say that the current surge is an example of the virus co-circulating with other seasonal infections such as influenza. 

 

The current surge in India is being led by the descendants of the Omicron variant, which was first reported in late 2021, including emerging sub-variants such as NB.1.8.1 and LF.7, descendants of JN.1, a sub-lineage of the Omicron family.

 

Commenting on the future strategy, Tushar Tayal, consultant, internal medicine, CK Birla Hospital, Gurugram, added that India may benefit from adopting a similar risk-based approach, especially considering the logistical and financial costs of widespread booster vaccination.

 

“Efforts could be focused on improving vaccine safety surveillance and considering the use of vaccines with different platforms, such as Novavax’s protein subunit vaccine, which may have a more favourable side effect profile than viral vector vaccines,” he said.