Wasn’t the second dose supposed to be a booster? What is the science behind the 3rd dose which is being labelled as booster? Is the 3rd dose being advocated for business reasons. These were the questions asked by friends and various callers.
Should I take the 3rd dose, enquired a friend. Yes, I said, if the 3rd dose is available, take it as it is generally considered to be safe even if much evidence is lacking. However, at this stage, am not sure if it will be any more efficacious in reducing the severity of infection.
If people don’t take the 3rd dose, the supply of available vaccine will save more lives of those who haven’t been vaccinated at all. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has discouraged use of booster doses till the vaccines reaches more people across the globe.
The function of vaccine is to reduce the risk of infection by developing immunity to the disease for which it is intended to. If only some people take the 3rd dose, will we come to know in future if it safe and useful to advice the population about it.
Israel’s experiment on booster dose will guide the world on 3rd dose of vaccine for covid as they have gone ahead and vaccinated a large segment of their population.
For the next 3-4 years, booster dose will be an annual event to be taken every year just as one takes the seasonal flu vaccine annually.
India, for example, cannot afford to give booster dose to its population because the first target to fully vaccinate (meaning, two doses) its population. If booster dose is given, then a large population due for 2nd dose will not get it in time, making the first dose less effective.
Wasn’t the 2nd dose supposed to be a booster, asked one caller. I explained that it was supposed to be, but dynamic situations in a pandemic teaches us all new things very often and we should be receptive to it.
Isn’t it a good business for the vaccine manufacturers, asked another; to which I responded by saying that business is fine if it helps, and vaccines help. Selling burgers is a business. However, manufacturing vaccines is a business backed by science.
Perhaps, soon there will be evidence enough to understand that the so-called 3rd dose now is an annual event like the annual vaccination for seasonal influenza is.
Currently, reports from reputed journals and institutions advise refraining from 3rd dose as two doses protect against hospitalisation and death even from the Delta variant.
Once the scientific community concludes the 3rd dose is required, it will be given by the governments as necessary. In any case, for some countries, including India may take a while before the 2nd dose for its large population is completed.
Booster doses are given when effectiveness of the vaccine against mild disease reduces over time or if vaccine induced immunity wanes or if a new variant emerges against which the protection due to vaccine appears ineffective. The evidence now does not appear to show a need for booster in the general population as the efficacy against severe disease with two doses is high.
The requirement for booster dose is considered for those with weak immune systems where adequate immune response is not produced with two doses of vaccine.
For the next 3-4 years, booster dose will be an annual event to be taken every year just as one takes the seasonal flu vaccine annually.
Once the number of new covid cases and its severity drops to the same level as seasonal flu, the population itself will stop taking the annual doses just as not everyone takes the seasonal flu vaccine.
The rush for covid vaccines now is for obvious reasons.
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