The Union Health Ministry on Friday announced that precaution dose of COVID vaccines will be made available to 18+ population groups from April 10. "All those who are more than 18 years of age & have completed 9 months after the administration of second dose, would be eligible for Precaution Dose," an official statement said.
COVID precaution dose is the booster dose that will be given to enhance the immunity memory of the body against coronavirus. Booster dose is recommended to enhance the immune response of the body which has weakened over time. The effectiveness of vaccines decrease over time and after a certain duration they stop protecting the body against the pathogen. This is why booster shots are given.
Many research studies have linked booster doses with reduced risk of infection and illness.
In India, the gap between the second dose of the primary vaccine and the booster dose is 39 weeks.
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Booster doses are not the same as additional doses. WHO says, "booster doses are administered to a vaccinated population that has completed a primary vaccination series (currently one or two doses of EUL COVID-19 vaccine depending on the product) when, with time, the immunity and clinical protection has fallen below a rate deemed sufficient in that population. The objective of a booster dose is to restore vaccine effectiveness from that deemed no longer sufficient." Additional doses of a vaccine may be needed where the immune response rate following the standard primary series is deemed insufficient.
Earlier only those above 60 years were allowed for the precaution dose, but from April 10 onwards 18 years and above can take the precaution jab.
The precaution dose for 18 years and above will be available at private vaccination centres only. Currently, only precaution dose for those 60 years and above are being given at government designated centres.
One does not need to register for the precaution dose. CoWIN says: No, registration is required only once to create a beneficiary account on Co-WIN. Thereafter, appointments can be booked, both online or onsite, and vaccination can be availed from the same account. It is recommended that a beneficiary should register only once so that proper records are maintained. It is also recommended that the registration should be done through an active mobile number to avoid problems in future.
In order to get the precaution dose, one should carry the certificates of the primary vaccines.
One can get the precaution dose in any state or district, but one should make sure that the centre is providing the same vaccine they took for the first and second dose.
Few common questions related to COVID booster dose has been answered below:
When will COVID booster dose be available for 18 years old and above?
The government has announced that precaution dose of COVID vaccines will be made available to 18+ population groups from April 10.What are the guidelines for COVID booster dose?
The gap between the second dose of the primary vaccine and the booster dose is 39 weeks. Where can one get the COVID booster dose?
The COVID booster dose for 18 years old and above will be available at private vaccination centres only.Should one register for the COVID booster dose?
One does not need to register for the precaution dose.
