Will we need a COVID booster shot?
Given the emergence of multiple new SARs-COV-2 variants, health authorities are extremely concerned about vaccine efficacy. The Delta variant, which is a possible driving force of the second wave of COVID-19, is said to be highly infectious and transmissible, which can also cause breakthrough infections.
Amidst all this chaos, many wonder whether the two vaccine doses are enough to fight the deadly virus. That said, scientists and doctors are currently in a bid to find out whether a COVID booster shot is required for people who have received both their COVID vaccines and are 'fully vaccinated'.
What is a booster shot?
A booster shot is an extra administration of a vaccine, given to people who have already received an earlier dose. This is to re-exposes a person's immune system to the immunizing antigen, the memory of which (after the previous dose) could have been lost over a period of time.
Will a booster shot be required against COVID-19?
When it comes to COVID-19, the requirement for a booster shot is still under talks. While the mutating COVID strains only add to the woe of the people and health officials, the efficacy of booster shots and whether we need it at all requires proper investigation and evidence.
What do WHO experts have to say?
Soumya Swaminathan, the World Health Organization’s chief scientist has said that there is not enough scientific proof to suggest that a COVID booster shot may prove effective after COVID-19 vaccination.
“We do not have the information that’s necessary to make the recommendation on whether or not a booster will be needed," Swaminathan said.
According to Swaminathan, such a call is "premature" while the most vulnerable have yet not received their first course of vaccination.
While COVID booster vaccines are likely to be rolled out in the United Kingdom in the fall to avoid another surge in the number of COVID cases, there are seven different vaccines being tested on individuals in the world's first booster study, as per Matt Hancock, UK's Health Secretary.
Can mixing and matching of COVID vaccines be an option?
Several countries have started testing a combination of vaccines to speed up immunisation.
Soumya Swaminathan has also said that the combination of COVID-19 vaccines seems to be working well against variants. She said, “It seems to be working well, this concept of heterologous prime-boost. This opens up the opportunity for countries that have vaccinated people with one vaccine and now are waiting for the second dose they have run out of, to potentially be able to use a different platform vaccine.”
Reportedly, Swaminathan has also said that early data from the UK, Spain and Germany suggest a “mix-and-match" regimen using two different types of vaccines generates more pain, fever and other minor side effects compared with two doses of the same inoculation.