As Covid cases rise, govt plans to cut waiting period for booster shots to 6 months
India | April 28, 2022 10:26 ISTAt present, the gap between the second Covid jab and the precaution dose is nine months.
At present, the gap between the second Covid jab and the precaution dose is nine months.
Serum Institute of India CEO Adar Poonawalla said that SII has decided to revise the price of Covishield vaccine for private hospitals after discussions with the Central government.
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.
Presently, the second dose of Covishield is given between 12-16 weeks after the first dose under the National COVID-19 Vaccination Strategy.
The DCGI approval came after the Subject Expert Committee (SEC) on COVID-19 recommended granting regular market approval to Covishield and Covaxin.
Covaxin and Covishield were granted Emergency Use Authorisation (EUA) on January 3 last year.
The BJP emerged as the single largest party bagging 384 seats against the MVA tally of 944 comprising Nationalist Congress Party's 344, Congress' 316 and Shiv Sena's 284 seats.
Pharma companies Serum Institute of India (SII) and Bharat Biotech had submitted applications to the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) seeking regular market authorisation for their respective COVID-19 vaccines Covishield and Covaxin.
Stunned over the "miraculous recovery", a three-member medical team was constituted by the government to investigate the matter, doctors said.
DCGI has approved molnupiravir for the treatment of adult patients with Covid-19 who have high risk of progression of the disease including hospitalisation or death.
According to reports, Bharat Biotech has proposed that its nasal vaccine can be used as booster dose for those who have already been inoculated with Covaxin or Covishield vaccines against coronavirus.
Covishield has been one of the main Covid-19 vaccines used in India for inoculation. Around 90% population have got Covishield.
The Centre has ramped up door-to-door vaccination in order to achieve the target of 100 per cent vaccination of the eligible population who are supposed to receive the jab.
A CDSCO panel has also recommended restricted emergency use of anti-Covid pill Molnupiravir in India.
The cumulative doses administered in the country so far under the nationwide COVID-19 vaccination drive has exceeded 139.70 crore.
The DCGI office had granted SII permission to manufacture and stock Covovax on May 17.
Speaking about the Omicron variant, Poonawalla said, "On the back of enough data, it is safe to say that booster vaccine doses are a proven strategy to get antibodies up to a great extent".
A booster dose of COVID-19 vaccines, administered months after primary vaccination, is expected to augment immunity against the virus, including neutralizing capacity against the 'variants of concern'.
In an application to the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI), Prakash Kumar Singh, the Director, Government and Regulatory Affairs at Serum Institute of India (SII) cited that the UK's Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency has already approved the booster dose of AstraZeneca.
With Omicron raising concerns about Covid vaccines' efficacy, drugmakers are stress-testing existing jabs while also racing to prepare new formulas.
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