Is 4th Dose Of Covid Vaccine Needed? Expert Talks About The Current Evidence Around Coronavirus
A sizeable population in India has already been vaccinated with three COVID doses, including the booster dose.?There have been multiple reports about why a fourth dose is not required currently.?
The idea of a fourth vaccine, being unnecessary, has now been backed by Dr Raman Gangakhedkar, the former head of epidemiology and communicable diseases at the Indian Council of Medical Research.?
Ex-ICMR doctor says 4th dose not required?
Dr Gangakhedkar has discounted the need for the fourth dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, given the current evidence about the coronavirus and its variants.?
If a person has taken a third dose of the anti-COVID-19 vaccine, it means his T-cell immune response has been trained thrice, Dr Gangakhedkar said on the sidelines of a function on Tuesday.?
"The core virus (of COVID-19) has not been changed so much that a new vaccine would be needed, so try and have trust in our T-cell immune response," Dr Gangakhedkar said.?
?"Looking at the current evidence (of variants of the virus), it is not that big that there is any need for the fourth dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.?There are many reasons for that. Currently, whatever vaccines are there, the virus makes the escape mutants over them, which causes infections," he added.?
According to Dr Gangakhedkar, old people and those suffering from chronic morbidities should continue to take precautions such as wearing masks.?
'New variant won't be from SARS-COV2 family'
"For the fourth dose, I think, there is still time to think, because if any new variant comes, it would not be from the SARS-COV2 family.?It could be a completely new variant and when it comes, we will think about it as our genomic surveillance is still going on. No need to get worried now," he said.
Dr Gangakhedkar appealed to follow two things: taking a preventive dose and taking all the precautions for vulnerable people.?
Short-lived effectiveness of booster dose
Since last year, people have shown their concerns over the longevity of the booster dose or the third dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.?
In December, Dr Rajeev Jayadevan, a member of the COVID Task Force, Kerala, told India Today that the problem with booster dose is its short-lived effectiveness.
He said the mRNA vaccines used as a fourth dose in other countries show that the effect wanes faster than the third dose.
Additionally, the former director of AIIMS, Dr Randeep Guleria, said that no data is available to suggest that a fourth vaccine is required.?
Dr Guleria highlighted the possibility of a fourth dose only if the vaccine is variant specific, like the bivalent vaccine.?
A bivalent COVID-19 vaccine, referred to as an updated COVID-19 vaccine booster dose, includes a component of the original virus strain and a component of another variant to provide better protection against COVID-19 caused by the new variant.
(With inputs from PTI)
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