Indians will not
need booster doses right now and the country needs to focus comprehensively on
vaccine coverage, said All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) director
Dr Randeep Guleria on Tuesday. The top physician further said that the
possibility of a “huge third wave” is “declining by every passing day”, the Indian
Express reported.

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According to
Guleria, India is not seeking a rise in breakthrough infections right now and
the vaccines are holding up. India’s seropositivity rate is also high, he said,
adding, “All of these suggest that as of now, we really don’t need a booster
dose. We may need it in the future, that is definitely there. But as of now, we
don’t need a booster dose.”

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The senior doctor
was speaking at a book launch where ICMR director Dr Balaram Bhargava’s work “Going
Viral” was being launched. Guleria said that India’s focus right now has to be
to get more and more people vaccinated. He said that if a sufficiently large
number of people get the first and second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, India
will be protected as a country.

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Booster shots of
the COVID-19 vaccine is the newest consideration facing health policy makers. The
United States and several countries in Europe are witnessing a rise in
breakthrough COVID-19 infections among vaccinated. The US has already rolled
out boosters and nearly 20% of fully-vaccinated Americans has already received
the shots.

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India, however, is
taking it slow on boosters. Dr VK Paul, member of the NITI Aayog, said that the
question of booster doses requires further research. “When you take a decision
on an additional dose, it has to be based on sound information,” he said adding
that booster is a priority for only those nations that have administered two
doses of the vaccine to a sufficient amount of their populations.