- The Universe cannot appear to even consider heaving a sigh of relief as the successive Covid waves are rendering several countries impotent with the onslaught of humongous proportions. Less said the better about the stuttering economies as start now and stop now phenomenon witnessed over the last eighteen months or so hardly helps in efforts to resurrect the economy. The Western and European countries are already in the grip of fourth and fifth Covid waves placing enormous pressure on the healthcare infrastructure machinery working relentlessly over the last several months. Of course, the Indian situation is not too different from other countries in comparison.
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- Even though we have sailed through two waves, including the most devasting second wave, the inevitability of the third wave on the back of the Omicron variant is bound to pose challenges yet again. Going by the example of countries like the US, UK, France, Germany, and others, the highly infectious Omicron virus variant will overwhelm the already inadequate healthcare infrastructure. This emerging situation has not only alarmed the Union Health Ministry but also prompted the Prime Minister himself to caution about the necessity to thwart the virus from spreading. However, the procrastination on the administering of booster shots as a measure to combat the raging virus of concern despite the medical and scientific community urging the same defies logic.
- Against this backdrop, the Government of India’s warning to state governments on Omicron includes keeping public health infrastructure in operation readiness sounds hollow. Worryingly, a study published in Lancet has just shown that protection accorded by the AstraZeneca vaccine (Covishield) dips three months after the second dose. Currently, healthcare workers numbering around 70 lakhs (nearly 70%) are those who took their second doses over six months ago. Needless to mention, if the highly infectious Omicron variant surges in India too, many health workers can get infected. This, in turn, will reduce the healthcare capacity to treat patients.
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- Fearing this aspect, the Indian Medical Association and some state governments have urged the Government of India to approve booster doses for health workers without any further delay. Mind you, a booster dose of Covishield, administered to nearly 90% Indians, is unlikely to work well for those already jabbed twice with it, has definitely complicated the picture. Meanwhile, mix and match studies of Covishield with Covovax have shown good results. WHO and EU regulators have just cleared this SII-manufactured vaccine for emergency use listing. Also, note that WHO recommends that those jabbed with inactivated virus-based vaccines, Covaxin in India’s case, must also get booster list priority.
- As reports suggest, Bharat Biotech’s intranasal vaccine is apparently the booster for those jabbed with Covaxin, but the timeline for its clearance is not clear. Make no mistake, the Union Government must move quickly on the booster issue as several states are announcing restrictions with Delhi, Maharashtra, and Karnataka placing curbs on Christmas-New Year partying. Proactively moving in a graded manner is a much better option than blunt instruments like lockdowns. In conclusion, faster vaccination and a smart rollout of boosters remain the best official weapons to develop fighting immunity against the virus. Over to the Government now.
