Major private and civic-run hospitals in the city are getting requests to provide booster Covid vaccine doses for vulnerable sections of the population and staff who had taken both doses of the Covid vaccine in the initial days of the drive, when the gap between both doses was only 28 days. Also wanting these booster shots are people who want to travel abroad for various reasons and or from those who believe that the extra dose would offer extra protection.
Doctors said they are getting more than 20-25 calls daily for booster shots and most of these are from senior citizens who are fully vaccinated.
Officials from the civic health department say they have been getting requests from hospital staff at civic and private-run hospitals who are apprehensive about the new variant, Omicron. However, they have directed all the city hospitals to refrain from administering booster shots until official confirmation comes from the Centre.
“We have learnt that many fully vaccinated beneficiaries, especially healthcare workers and frontline workers, are taking the third dose of Covid vaccine at some private vaccination centres, though the government is yet to approve booster doses,” he said. However, those taking the third dose are relying on the fact that a booster shot has already been approved in the UK and the US while it is still under study in India.
Dr Joy Chakraborty, chief operating officer, Hinduja Hospital, said they were getting several queries from the elderly population, about a booster shot, having been vaccinated in April. Since there is no official word on the subject, they are not entertaining any such requests, he said. Currently, they have 17,000 doses in stock but only for administration of the first and second dose.
“For now, we should focus on fully vaccinating all of Mumbai so that the infection rate is decreased. We know most of the people have taken the jab at the start of the mass immunisation programme and that the vaccines remain effective for 6-7 months. But it doesn’t mean we have to start providing booster doses and people due for their second dose should come forward and take it immediately,” he said.
A community medicine professor from a medical college said that vaccine ‘myths’ continue to be circulated, that fully vaccinated beneficiaries are chasing after booster doses. While many countries are giving the booster dose to vulnerable populations, in India, there is no official confirmation on booster shots as yet.
“There are two schools of thought. One feels a booster dose is needed after six months. Another says Covid vaccines give immunity for a longer duration. Therefore, the government is yet to formulate any policy on booster doses. The focus is still on completing first and second doses," he said.
A doctor from a private hospital said most people who took the vaccine at private hospitals at the time took it for safety purposes unlike now, when people are taking it to get access to the malls or for transportation. “We have a lot of stock pending with us, as there are no more takers for paid vaccinations and on the other hand, we also have people who want to take a third shot as an extra layer of protection, but we cannot give it to them until the government approves it,” said a doctor.
