VISAKHAPATNAM: A certain degree of Covid-19 vaccine complacency seems to have crept in Andhra Pradesh as only 624 people in the 18-59 age group have got their booster doses in the last one week, or as of April 16.
The Union government expanded the third dose net to this category on April 10 to add an extra layer of safety to all adult population.
Until then, the precautionary/booster shots were administered to only the 60-plus population cohort and the frontline respondents like healthcare workers. Amid the then Omicron threat, the Union government opened eligibility for another dose for these groups as a matter of precaution on January 10.
The booster dose for these categories have been given at government vaccination centres – as usually at free of cost. The fears over the third wave coupled with free vaccination has drawn huge crowds to the vaccination centres, particularly during the onset and peak of the Omicron-led wave.
For instance, more than 1.1 lakh people received the booster dose on day one of the launch on January 10 itself.
But in a rapid paradigm shift, the booster doses for the 18-59 age group have only been made available at the private centres. The third shot numbers indicate an extreme slow uptake as only 624 people have been jabbed as of Saturday. As new sub-variants of Omicron continue to emerge in different parts of the world, this needs to be taken seriously until the Covid-19 threat has passed.
One would become eligible for the precautionary dose only 9 months after administration of the second dose. Citing the research work, some experts argue that the third shot should be given after six months instead of nine as the vaccine efficacy may wane in half a year.
The significantly improved Covid-19 conditions, the cost involved in the booster dose process (people received the first two doses at free of cost), limited private vaccination centres, and the largely absent public messaging on the need for the booster doses might be the reasons for the poor response. As everyone cannot afford the vaccination cost, the third shot can be simultaneously given at both private and government centres.
Director, Visakha Institute of Medical Sciences, Dr K Rambabu, said that the reduced infection numbers or positivity rate should not lead to any complacency. “From the third wave experience, it is clear that the increased vaccination coverage provided strong defence against the pandemic by reducing the severity as well as hospitalisations. As the government itself opened the booster dose for all adults, I request everyone to opt for it,” said Dr Rambabu.
