Experts raise red flag over Covid-19 third shot

Should we Shouldnrsquot we These are the questions that health experts are debating following studies recently published in magazines like The Lancet and Nature in favour and against a booster vaccine dose for Covid19 Though countries like Israel and certain manufacturers have already recommended the third dose several scientists and immunologists around the world have raised red flags over itDr Wiqar Shaikh Professor of Medicine Grant Medical College and Sir JJ Group of Hospitals quoted a recent study from Israel in medRxiv journal that said that the third dose is beneficial Israel cleared a booster dose after cases surged despite 80 per cent of its population being fully vaccinatedCiting a Lancet article of September 13 Dr Shaikh said the introduction of the third dose so early could lead to ldquoswelling of the heart myocarditis andor paralysis GuillainBarre syndromerdquo If not justified by robust data the article said the booster dose could lead to a loss of confidence in vaccines He said an article of September 16 in Nature said a third dose would not necessarily imply worthwhile longterm benefitsCiting another article of September 17 in the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases from the US he said that fewer antibodies in the body after a few months of vaccination is not a fair indicator of efficacy He said ldquoTcells are longer lasting and cellular immunity is what is going to protect you from disease because it is only the Tcells that can attack and kill virusinfested cells in human beingsrdquo He recalled a midday report of June 7 on the importance of Tcells ldquoWhy scientists around the world do not study and report on Tcell mediated responses to Covid19 vaccines remains a mysteryrdquoA health worker administers a vaccine dose at Asha Samaj Kalyan Kendra in Govandi FileSayyed Sameer AbediWith over 60 per cent of the Indian population having received 1 dose and more than 20 per cent given both shots he said ldquoWe have a long way to go for the entire Indian population to receive both doses In India any talk of a booster dose is completely futilerdquo He lamented that manufacturers had talked of only one dose when vaccines were being launched last year ldquoNow there is a talk about a 3rd doserdquo He feared that companies might talk of yearly shotslsquoGive doses to maximum peoplersquoDr Santosh Bansode HoD of Emergency Medicine Wockhardt Hospitals said ldquoSome say it is clearly beneficial and some say it is not that much beneficial Booster dose is given to boost immunity of fully vaccinated people After getting fully vaccinated it might happen that after a few months or so antibodies that are formed in the body might reduce and again people will be at risk of getting infection In such a case there comes a question that will the booster dose help giving more protection or notrdquoHe said the priority in India should be to fully vaccinate a larger population ldquoOur vaccination programme is at full speed now and we still have a long way to go In such a situation if we start thinking about the booster dose we will face a huge shortagerdquo said Dr Bansode ldquoWe have enough study to prove that fully vaccinated people get adequate protection and even if they get an infection they get generally mild symptoms and are saved from getting serious complicationsrdquoDr Subhash Hira Professor of Global Health at the University of WashingtonSeattle and an expert on global pandemic control said two doses of vaccines like Pfizer or AstraZeneca have been found to be effective against all variants of concern including DeltaHe said ldquoA clear principle of equity is violated that also biologically means that lsquono one is protected in the world unless all are vaccinatedrsquo In absence of convincing data available the third dose of vaccine now being referred to as a lsquoboosterrsquo will divert muchrequired vaccine doses to cover most of the developing countriesrdquoHe said compelling evidence has emerged from a few wellcontrolled trials of improved efficacy of third dose for individuals above 60 or immunocompromised persons like those with cancer or AIDS But recommending a universal third dose for all could trigger serious side effects like myocarditis renal inflammatory illnesses and diabetes he saidlsquoUnfair to mislead publicrsquoDr Ketan Vagholkar professor of surgery at DY Patil Medical College said ldquoEvidence supporting the third jab is controversial and grossly lacking especially in the present scenario when the majority of the worldrsquos population is yet to be immunised with two doses It is now that the two dosage schedule is being globally acceptedrdquo He added ldquoGovernments world over are striving hard to accomplish complete immunisation of citizens Hence it is unfair to mislead people with the requirement of a third dose at this moment This will unnecessarily fuel confusion and fear thereby undermining efforts to regain normalcyrdquo