Large stocks of Covid vaccines are lying unused and the number of takers is dwindling, which makes the case for booster doses for the more vulnerable, said doctors, public health experts and officials of private hospitals.
The Centre has not yet announced booster doses, but many healthcare workers have been asking their hospitals when it would be available.
“Scientifically it has been shown that taking a booster dose is effective. The supply is abundant. There is adequate infrastructure for vaccination. Then why shouldn’t the Centre allow booster doses for the vulnerable,” said public health expert Abhijit Chowdhury.
Infectious diseases expert Chandramouli Bhattacharya said countries like the UK and US are administering booster doses within six months of taking the second dose.
“There is scientific evidence that booster doses are effective in preventing Covid infections, specially severe infections. In the UK and US the decision to administer third and booster doses are taken based on these scientific evidences. So, I think in India also, booster doses should be allowed for healthcare workers and those who are immuno compromised and the elderly,” said Bhattacharya.
In India, most healthcare workers have taken the second doses by February this year.
As stocks are piling up, most private hospitals in Kolkata have not ordered for fresh stocks for several months. Earlier, when the demand was very high, they were placing orders within gaps of weeks. Hospitals said since vaccines are lying unused for months, these could be administered to those who are keen and vulnerable.
“The demand is now about 10 per cent of what it was in the middle of this year. Vaccine doses will soon expire. Rather this can be used as booster doses for healthcare workers or those who are more at risk,” said Sudipta Mitra, chief executive of Peerless Hospital. The hospital is having a stock of more than 10,000 doses of Covishield and Covaxin. Everyday barely 30 people are turning up for vaccination.
RN Tagore International Institute of Cardiac Sciences has a stock of around 6,000 doses of Covishield and barely 100 takers everyday.
“Earlier, we would have to wait for nearly a month to get the delivery after placing orders. Now we get it within a week. So there is abundance of vaccine supply,” said R. Venkatesh, regional director, east, of Narayana Health, of which the RN Tagore hospital is a flagship unit.
AMRI hospital has around 20,000 doses of Covishield in its stock with around 150 recipients daily on an average at its three units in Kolkata.
“We can now go ahead with booster doses for healthcare workers and frontline workers,” said Rupak Barua, group CEO of AMRI. He said many doctors and healthcare workers are worried about the reinfection since the antibodies are waning.