Gap between 2nd dose and ‘precautionary booster’ to be 9-12 months: Report

The gap between the second dose of the COVID vaccine and the precautionary booster shot is estimated to be nine to 12 months, as per reports which emerged a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced India’s intention to circulate a third dose against the virus. 

Currently, there is some ongoing work regarding the details of vaccine-specific gaps, for Covaxin and Covishield, but reports assure that there will be a speedy conclusion to this situation. 

As per Modi’s announcement, the third dose will be made available for frontline workers, and senior citizens who have comorbidity issues. Also known as the precaution dose, this booster shot will be administered from January 10, 2022. 

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Since a majority of this population demography received their vaccines in the first half of 2021, being among the priority groups of India’s vaccination drive, it has already been nine months for those who got their second dose in March or April. 

While regular vaccines against COVID consist of two doses, the emergence of new variants has prompted the need for a third dose, which will serve as a booster. Several countries have already begun administering it. However, Modi has steered clear of the term, for now, labelling this as the precautionary dose, to attempt to curb omicron from spreading. 

Prior to the Prime Minister’s announcement, Indian doctors already witnessed a surge of panic-stricken individuals getting illegal booster doses administered at hospitals. At the time, medical professionals had noted that several people opted for vaccine cocktails – mixing two different vaccines – and had warned against the side effects. They further mentioned that politicians, business people, law enforcement, and medical professionals topped the list of individuals trying to get illegal booster doses. 

However, now after Modi’s vision has been shared with India, the booster precautionary shot will be delivered with the necessary regulations.