Covid booster shot, addition dose, vaccine for kids? Key expert panel meet today

When will India start Covid 19 vaccination for children? Will India give additional shots to the vulnerable people? And what about the booster shots?

Answers to all these questions are likely after a key meet of the experts panel on Covid vaccination today.

The National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation advises the central government on issues related to immunization.

The group has been working on a comprehensive policy for both additional vaccine doses and vaccination among those less than 18 years of age.

An additional dose of vaccine is different from a booster dose.

A booster dose is given to an individual after a predefined period when the immune response due to primary vaccination is presumed to have declined.

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Additional dose is given to immunocompromised and immunosuppressed individuals when primary schedule of vaccination does not provide adequate protection from the infection.

The government has maintained the booster dose was not its focus, as the priority was to vaccinate all eligible people as fast as possible.