New Delhi: With many nations exploring the option to switch to separate coronavirus vaccines for second doses or booster shots, World Health Organisation (WHO) chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan has said there is not enough information presently to either confirm or dismiss the requirement for a booster shot after vaccination against Covid-19.
“We do not have the information that’s necessary to make the recommendation on whether or not a booster will be needed,” she told Bloomberg.
Asserting “science is still evolving”, Swaminathan said such a call is also “premature” since high-risk individuals in most of the world have not yet completed the first course of vaccination.
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Commenting on vaccines’ combination amid a shortage in supply, the WHO chief scientist said “it seems to be working well”.
“This concept of heterologous prime-boost. This opens up the opportunity for countries that have vaccinated people with one vaccine and now are waiting for the second dose they have run out of, to potentially be able to use a different platform vaccine,” Swaminathan said.
“Still, the so-called heterologous prime-boost combinations appear to spur a more robust immune response, leading to both higher levels of virus-blocking antibodies and the white blood cells that kill virus-infected cells,” she added.
The WHO chief scientist’s remarks come as many nations, including the United Kingdom, are thinking of an annual or booster shot in a bid to avoid another surge in Covid-19 cases.
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Meanwhile, India’s cumulative vaccination coverage in a significant development crossed the landmark of 28 crores.
India has reported 53,256 daily new cases in the last 24 hours, the lowest since 88 days.