New Delhi, Apr 9 (PTI) With a day to go for the beginning of the administration of precaution doses of COVID-19 vaccines to all beneficiaries aged above 18 years, doctors at private vaccination centres in Delhi on Saturday said they are all prepared for the exercise and that the third shot will provide “stronger protection” against the coronavirus.
The Union health ministry announced on Friday that the precaution dose will be available for all aged above 18 years at private vaccination centres from April 10.
Doctors and administrators at several leading private hospitals in Delhi asserted that they are prepared for the exercise starting from Sunday.
Dr Sandeep Budhiraja, group medical director, Max Healthcare group, said, “We have been at the forefront among the private healthcare players in administering Covid vaccines. With the government allowing the third dose (booster dose), we are fully prepared to extend our support and carry it out.” “The vaccination centres at our hospitals are ready to administer the booster doses. We welcome this move as this will provide stronger protection against Covid,” he added.
Doctors and administrators at several other facilities also said they are all set to administer the “booster shot” to people.
“Looking at how a lot of countries are again witnessing a new virulent wave and with the emergence of new Covid variants, I think it is a step taken in the right direction at the right time and would like to congratulate the government on this,” said Dr Bishnu Panigrahi, group head, medical strategy and operations, Fortis Healthcare group.
“This announcement helps us target our demographic dividend — the workforce which powers India’s economic growth,” he was quoted as saying in a statement issued by the group.
All studies show the benefits of vaccination as this will prevent critical illness and hospitalisation. Articles published in The New England Journal of Medicine have clearly shown the benefits of a third dose, Panigrahi said.
“The precaution dose will safeguard people above 18 and most importantly, the ones who have co-morbidities, from infectious stages of the disease,” he added.
Delhi recorded 146 fresh Covid cases and one death due to the disease on Friday, while the positivity rate was recorded at 1.39 per cent, according to data shared by the city health department.
The number of coronavirus cases has seen an upward trend in the national capital in the last few days.
The number of daily Covid cases in Delhi had touched the record high of 28,867 on January 13, during the third wave of the pandemic.
The city had recorded a Covid positivity rate of 30.6 per cent on January 14, the highest during the third wave of the pandemic that was largely due to the highly transmissible Omicron variant of the virus.
On Friday, the national capital’s overall Covid tally had increased to 18,65,942, while the death toll had climbed to 26,156.
The Centre has said the precaution dose will be of the same vaccine as the one used to administer the first two doses.
Those above the age of 18, who have completed nine months since the administration of the second dose, will be eligible for the precaution dose, the Union health ministry said on Friday. The final guidelines on the precaution dose for people above 18 will soon be issued.
“It has been decided that the precaution dose of Covid vaccines will be made available to the 18-plus population group at private vaccination centres. This facility would be available at all private vaccination centres,” the ministry said.
So far, about 96 per cent of those above the age of 15 in the country have received at least one Covid vaccine dose, while about 83 per cent have received both doses.
More than 2.4 crore precaution doses have also been administered to healthcare workers, frontline workers and those aged above 60 years. Besides, 45 per cent of the beneficiaries in the 12-14 years age group have also received the first dose, the ministry had said.
The cumulative number of Covid vaccine doses administered in the country has exceeded 185.38 crore. PTI KND RC
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