- The Omicron threat appears to have galvanized the entire global community into action mode what with governments of several nations hurrying to enforce effective measures to combat the new variant. The Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG) conducting genomic sequencing has recommended a booster dose for those over 40 years, first by targeting high-risk and high-exposure individuals, to bolster neutralizing antibodies against Omicron. Though genomic sequencing merely stands at 3%, which must be scaled up to at least 10-15%, the recommendations made by the consortium deserve to be considered holistically.
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- Make no mistake, the Government of India must heed this advice owing to several mentioned reasons. To begin with, there is no vaccine supply problem in the country presently on the back of a spectacular increase in production capabilities. There is no disputing the fact that jabbing the unvaccinated and the partially vaccinated is the highest priority. And there are crores of eligible adults yet to receive their jabs going by the Union Health Ministry reports. Note that to achieve 100% adult vaccination, India needs 610 million more doses as of now. As per the reports, states have more than 220 million doses with them.
- Recollecting what the Centre has told the Parliament, Serum Institute of India, and Bharat Biotech can collectively produce 300 million a month. Plus, SII’s top honcho has said his company holds hundreds of millions of vaccines on its campus, and production is around 35% more than the initial offtake. Doing simple math will reveal how comfortably the vaccination scenario is playing out in the country. Assuming booster doses are cleared for those second-dosed six months back, that number right now stands at 45 million, an easily achievable number. As such, given India’s stocks and production capacity, completing double dosing of adults, and giving booster shots can happen simultaneously without worrying about the supply-side issues.
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- Even the funds for administering booster doses, assuming they too are free, are positioned comfortably as only Rs. 19,676 crores of Rs. 35,000 crore budgetary allocation for vaccine procurement has been utilized. On top of it, tax receipts are booming as well. The Government of India’s total receipts till end-October this fiscal of Rs. 12.79 lakh crore is 64.7% of the Union budget estimate, setting it on course to exceed the year’s target. Even the scientific community is clear on the booster’s front. A new UK study shows boosters work well with Covishield even as Covaxin trials on boosters should be getting over anytime now.
- Pragmatically speaking, every country that has mandated boosters have done so based on scientific advice, and in each of those countries, the arrival of Omicron has heightened the urgency in no small ways. Make no mistake, the situation panning out around us demands the same urgency for the Government authorities to act. When we have the supplies, money, and infrastructure why should there be any delay in going ahead with administering boosters? Indeed, the time is ripe to move ahead.
