Pandemic: Guidelines for Vaccine Administration wef Jan. 3rd (Issued on Dec. 27th)

[Sukla Sen]

Quite a Mahabharat!

(Ref : <https://www.mohfw.gov.in/pdf/GuidelinesforCOVID19VaccinationofChildrenbetween15to18yearsandPrecautionDosetoHCWsFLWs&60populationwithcomorbidities.pdf>.)

That the revised guidelines - a remarkable turnaround on the part of the Union Government, as regards vaccine procurement and administration, effective from June 21 2021, was triggered by the forceful intervention of the Supreme Court (ref : <https://m.timesofindia.com/india/centres-paid-vaccination-policy-for-18-45-years-age-group-arbitrary-irrational-says-sc/amp_articleshow/83172112.cms>) in response to public petitions (ref: <https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/covid-19-vaccine-sc-stays-proceedings-before-delhi-hc-transfers-case-to-itself/article34099628.ece>) has, in the process, neatly been pushed under the carpet. As if it had never happened!

Conceivably, that's why the Mahabharat.

The action points are, however, fairly crisp:

Quote

1. COVID-19 Vaccination of children in the age-group of 15-18 years to be started from 3rd January 2022. For such beneficiaries, vaccination option would be “Covaxin” only. 

2. As a matter of abundant precaution, for those Health Care Workers (HCWs) & 

Front Line Workers (FLWs) who have received two doses, another dose of 

COVID-19 vaccine would be provided from 10th January 2022. The prioritization and sequencing of this precaution dose would be based on the completion of 9 months i.e. 39 weeks from the date of administration of 2nd dose.

3. All persons aged 60 years and above with comorbidities who have received two doses of COVID-19 vaccine, will on Doctor’s advice be provided with a

precaution dose from 10th January 2022. The prioritization and sequencing of this precaution dose would be based on the completion of 9 months i.e. 39 

weeks from the date of administration of second dose.

[A general note:]

All citizens irrespective of their income status are entitled to free COVID-19 

vaccination at Govt. Vaccination Centres. Those who have the ability to pay are 

encouraged to use Private Hospitals’ Vaccination Centres. 

Unquote

This new guideline would be effective from the coming January 3rd.

The newly eligible category - those aged 15-18, would get only Covaxin.

The third (booster) dose would be available [only] after 9 months of the second shot.

A recent study on the duration of the protection provided by the AstraZeneca vaccines (Covishield, in case of India) - published in the leading medical journal, Lancet, provides, as under:

"We found [very significantly and, that too, at accelerating rates] waning vaccine protection of ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 [i.e. AstraZeneca vaccine] against COVID-19 hospital admissions and deaths in both Scotland and Brazil, this becoming evident within three months of the second vaccine dose [emphasis added]. Consideration needs to be given to providing booster vaccine doses for people who have received ChAdOx1 nCoV-19."

(Ref.:  <https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(21)02754-9/fulltext>.)