'Person with booster dose unlikely to get infected or pass virus on to others'

While the discussion is on about initiating a COVID19 vaccine booster dose even before clinical trial results are out especially in view of the new variantmdashOmicron several healthcare experts in the country expressed concern about administering booster doses from the available stock especially when a large number of population especially the paediatric to adolescent population are not yet vaccinatedVirologist Dr Jacob John from Vellore Tamil Nadu in an interview with midday talked about the areas of concernmdashfrom how safe booster doses are to the time duration of taking the same to global pharma industriesrsquo keen interest in supplying booster dosesDr Jacob John virologistAmid Omicron threat and calls for boosters do you feel India should opt for booster dose and whyWhile more doses sold will profit vaccine manufacturers the call for booster doses came from scientists including myself The new variant Omicron spreads very efficiently and partly overcomes vaccineinduced immunity The higher the immunity level the more effective it is against infection even with variants A booster will definitely increase the immunity level and lead to development of longlasting antibody secreting cells In fact even in the absence of new variants booster dose is good as a person with booster dose is unlikely to get infected or pass it on to othersA study published in Lancet stated that a booster dose of six COVID19 vaccines can strengthen immune responses in fully vaccinated people What is your view on thisThe rule is you cannot take the second booster without the first booster and we have to monitor the effects after the first one before considering any further ones If the effect of the first booster lasts five years then we do not require a booster during that time In other words the need and timing of the second booster depend on the first booster response and the duration of its effectIs a booster dose required for every new variantNo One booster will suffice for any fresh variants for a long time Whether or not more boosters are required will depend on monitoring the longevity of immunityHow safe is it for people to keep getting vaccinatedOnce a vaccine is safe the whole vaccination schedule is safe Normal vaccination schedule is two or three doses at short intervals one to two months and a booster after six months to an year All vaccinologists know that without at least one booster you donrsquot get the best value from vaccination Three four or five doses spread over time does not increase risk of adverse event following immunisation AEFI unless someone shows an allergic reaction which is extremely uncommonProtection is the need of the day and when vaccines are available we should not be stingy Companies getting profit is not to be a factor when protection is desired Of course companies should fix price balancing all factors especially during epidemicsThe vaccine data from several parts of the country is a matter of concern with a large part of the population either not vaccinated or not keen to take vaccines What is your view on thisPeople are intelligent They read the entire situation and messages from various sources and choose the best option for themselves Why is authentic information and rationale not given out The lack of transparency on information of serious AEFI has made a lot of people suspect that the government is hiding bad news Good health education is possible but our system does not seem to do that well enoughThe vaccination programme for children has not started yet How can the government ensure their safetySafety has two parts safety from infection and rare severe diseases and safety from AEFI Vaccine safety is the crux When vaccine safety is assured children must be vaccinatedWhy is the world panicking with the emergence of Omicron especially when it is not leading to severityYou are not panicking and neither am I Who is panicking Caution and designing barriers are wise they do not amount to panicDo you think it is in the global pharma industryrsquos interest to take advantage of the situation by pumping in dosesBoosters are necessary for human welfare Companies may use the opportunity but they did not create the situation If companies invest in taking risks we should not grudge that theyrsquore also benefittingWhy is the cure using therapeutic drugs for example antiviral medications put on the back burnerThere is preventioncontrol and there is diagnosistreatment Vaccines apply to the former Drugs apply to the latter There will be no backburner problem when you deal with either with the right tools of intervention24 NovDay Omicron was first detected