The third dose and the Booster Shot is a worldwide debate. Targeted or an extension of the second dose? Should the Booster Shot be administered to everyone? Should the vaccine be identical to the second dose or else is a mixed vaccine possible or is a vaccine with a higher component than the previous one recommended?
Confusion that sparks debate
The confusion surrounds the announcement by Dr Kailesh Jagutpal, Minister of Health at the weekly NCC press conference following the receipt of a shipment of 500,000 doses of Sinopharm. In other words, there will not be a mandatory blanket campaign for all Sinopharm inoculations. Supported by Dr Catherine Gaud, who clearly explains that the third dose is first for the immunocompromised, dialysis patients and those at risk, and then will come the first Sinopharm inoculants, an interval of four months since their second doses!
Third dose following a roadmap
However, there are few details about the third dose and the Booster Shot. Dr Vasantrao Gujadhur “The world is talking about targeted doses and not mandatory for all. First of all, you have to know the difference between a Third Dose and a Booster Shot. The Third Dose is meant for the immunocompromised only and not for the whole population. And this should follow a certain roadmap for those people who are immunocompromised. It is in these cases that the identical vaccine is plausible,” he says.
Booster Shot – Need not yet voted
According to him, the Booster Shot, by definition, is for those whose immunity from their previous doses is waning after a certain amount of time and testing. Therefore, it can be for everyone! “Currently, the Booster Shot is still under study and its necessity is not yet endorsed by the CDC, FDA and WHO. However, the Booster Shot must be a vaccine with a higher component than the previous vaccines administered, since by definition, the component of the previous vaccines are weakened. It is therefore questionable whether Sinopharm should be used as a third dose in the current situation, as its effectiveness in people aged 65 and over and in frail health has been widely criticized in recent studies in Bahrain. Even Thailand and Indonesia have reportedly opted for a western dose for the third dose and Booster Shot,” says Dr Gujadhur.
Sinopharm or mRNA?
He adds, “Caixin China Magazine has formally disclosed that Sinopharm Group Co Ltd has entered into a joint venture with Germany’s BioNtech Laboratories under its Fosun Pharma arm to develop the Fosun- BioNtech Covid 19 vaccine, which is intended to be used as a Booster Shot for people who have received vaccines using inactivated viruses using a coronavirus that cannot replicate in human cells and include Sinovac’s COVID-19 (SVA.O) vaccine. That says it all! Thus, the use of a mRNA- messenger ribonucleic acid like Pfizer or Moderna will be more advisable and effective for the third dose or Booster Shot where necessary, and yes, the vaccine mix is indeed advisable. I do not question the effectiveness of Sinopharm in the short term, but only its use on people over 65 years old and with complicated health conditions,” he says.
Inaccuracy in death rate
It has thus become more urgent for him to ask for more details on the deaths in Covid, which is on the rise since the second wave, amounting to about 79 cases, 32 of which are directly attributed to the virus as announced by the ministry. “I don’t think these are the correct figures. The government needs to provide real details of the deaths and patients, their vaccines and conditions so that studies can determine the effectiveness of the vaccines in Mauritius. The term Asymptomatic is confusing, and if asymptomatic, at what stage of infection and until when? Do we really know if we are not affected by the variants. We have to choose between breaking the chain of transmission and the ‘feel good factor’ in the country in the eyes of the world in view of the total reopening of the borders. We should take into account that we will receive tourists from countries where the variants are virulent“, says the doctor.
