Doctors on January 2022 vaccine drive: Some call it need of the hour, others say move lacks scientific basis

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday made three major announcements with regard to the next phase of the vaccination drive in the country. While widening the scope of the vaccination from January 3, 2022, to include those aged between 15 and 18, the Prime Minister said that the move would not just aid in education normalization in schools but also reduce the tension among parents of school-going children.

At the same time, he announced additional vaccine doses for frontline workers and individuals aged above 60 years with comorbidities from January 10. The Prime Minister made it clear that the additional dosage should be called a 'precaution dose' and not a booster dose. 

Asianet Newsable reached out to medical professionals to know their thoughts about the central government's latest decision. Read on

'These decisions were the need of the hour'
Dr CN Manjunath 
Director, Jayadeva Hospital, Bengaluru

The healthcare worker took a second dose somewhere in February and March. It has been eight months since the second dose. Naturally, antibody levels wean away. It is extremely important to have a third dose or a booster dose, especially in the wake of the Omicron strain. The booster dose increases the immunity levels and at the same time increases the morale of the healthcare workers so that they can confidently work in ICU and in other hospital wards or other sectors. 

Definitely, this (decision) is the need of the hour and experts all over the country were stressing for the third dose. The honourable Prime Minister has announced that today. It is really a good decision. Even regarding vaccination for children, now they are going in descending order like how it was started even for the adults. They started 60 years and above and then 45 and above. Now they have started for children in the 15 to 18 age group. Maybe after some time, they will go from 12 to 15. This will definitely benefit students who are attending SSLC and second Pre-University Course classes. 

This is how we have to move considering the exponential surge of cases in the United Kingdom, the United States and other European nations. We are also not far away from the surge of Omicron cases in India. It is most likely to surge somewhere by the end of January or the beginning of February in India.

'This will go a long way in preventing the third wave'
Dr Asima Banu
Professor of Microbiology, Bengaluru Medical College and Research Institute

For us, we took the first dose somewhere in January. This is a very good move. For children, considering that schools and colleges have started, it is high time they get vaccinated. It is quite a significant one (PM Modi's decision). For people with comorbid conditions, it goes without saying as after 60 years such people are more vulnerable. These three (population categories) are a major chunk. This will go a long way in preventing the third wave. 

Also Read: 'PM's announcement will ease tensions of parents of school and college-going students'

'There is no science that says vaccines would benefit children'
Sanjay K Rai
AIIMS Delhi

Children vaccination: As per the global evidence, we have got to know the most protected are those who have recovered from Covid-19. Unfortunately, some of Covid positive people have died. As far as children are concerned, there is no severity as of now. In every 10 lakh, two deaths are reported among children. There can be vaccine-related problems that children can face. As far as adults are concerned, in every 10 lakh cases, 15,000 deaths have been reported. In that case, the vaccine reduces 80-90 per cent of the mortality. In that case, the vaccine is a huge benefit for public health. Even if there are some problems due to vaccine-associated things, there is also a huge benefit for it. 

Children may face problems due to vaccine-associated things. Not a single epidemiologist has given such a recommendation. For the last six months, vaccination for children was doing the round as there is a huge market in India. There are around 40 crore children in India and that could be a reason for it. There is no science stating that the vaccination would benefit them. Some countries have started vaccination drives for children; we should analyse their data. Then the decision should have been taken. 

Prime Minister’s intention has never been bad. He has been very proactive since the beginning of the pandemic. I don’t know who has advised him of this decision. But it has no scientific basis. 

Precaution dose: Over 20 countries have started giving booster doses. Some of them have started the fourth dose. But it should be evidence-based. The Omicron variant has begun in South Africa but the country has not even given two doses to 30 per cent of its population. Even then, the graph of the Omicron variant in South Africa is going down. 

In the UK, the graph is rising even after vaccinating 45 per cent of the population with both doses and a booster dose. So to say that booster would help, there is no evidence of it. In our country, vaccination is not even completed. After 10 per cent of vaccination, the Covid graph in India was going down. There was no infection and no deaths were reported. So we will have to understand its power. Those who gave recommendations have ignored the natural infection. It is true that vaccine reduces 80-90 per cent of severity. But it works on those who have not been infected so far. Immunity to natural infections is better than that accorded by a vaccine. 

Commercial interests are so much that they dominate science. That could be a reason. I am sure that no complete data would have been placed before the prime minister. He must have been presented less data. 

'Need for booster doses stems from people's nonchalant behaviour'
Dr Setu Sinha,
Assistant Professor (Community Medicine), IGIMS, Patna

The intention, to a large extent, is that the third dose should do what a well-fitted mask can do -- preventing infection and transmission. Vaccines are basically important to prevent severe disease, hospitalisation and death, for which even two doses of the vaccine will play that role.

The need for booster doses mostly stems from the nonchalant behaviour of the people, who are not adhering to Covid-appropriate behaviour and proper use of masks despite the significant role they play in preventing transmission. 

In light of this unfortunate fact and the apprehension of the Omicron variant, the government has taken the decision of starting booster doses. However, this needs to be seen as a precautionary measure, in the larger context, given the situation.