Unethical to give Covid-19 booster doses now: Adar Poonawalla
Darpan News Desk IANS, 17 Sep, 2021 11:18 AM
Bengaluru, Sep 17 (IANS) Serum Institute of India CEO Adar Poonawalla on Friday said that it was unethical to start giving the third booster dose of Covid vaccine to someone when others in certain countries and populations have not even got two doses for full vaccination.
"For example, only 2 to 3 per cent of developing world countries have received vaccines, while it has gone up to 40 to 50 per cent in the developed world.
"The third dose of vaccine is not right, at least till significant part of the other countries get 2 doses and then, of course, we look into third dose or an annual booster shot or something like that," he said at a media interaction along with Biocon chief Kiran Majumdar Shaw after announcing the strategic partnership forged between the Biocon Biologics Ltd (BBL) and the Serum Institute Life Sciences (SILS).
Poonawala said that the "jury is still out there on the third dose".
"Maybe some very vulnerable sections, immuno-compromised people could do with some booster shots. There is no evidence to show Covishield requires a third dose. Some people may have taken it... we have not recommended it yet," he said.
The government and drug controller's office will have to take a decision on the third booster dose based on data and cases as times goes on and including how effective the vaccine is on the Delta virus variant, he added "I know some vaccines in the West recommending the third dose because the antibody response has dropped a little, but we will wait and see, the goal is to give two doses to everyone and then look at three doses as a booster," he said.
"We are fortunate in India being in the developing world, having many Indian manufacturers... they have been able to give the population vaccines. But, if we didn't have them in India, we would be in the same position as African countries who have not been able to get vaccines," Poonawalla added.
The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), General M.M. Naravane, reached Kashmir on Wednesday on a two-day visit to review the prevailing security situation in the Union Territory (UT), the army said in a statement.
"There have been several unfounded media reports that have peddled misinformation among the masses regarding this exercise of national importance," a ministry statement said, adding that the total number of Covid vaccine doses administered in the country so far stand at 21,85,46,667.
The Congress said that it was "appropriate for our initial statement to note that the intrusion by Israeli forces into the Holy Al Aqsa mosque during Ramzan prayers had ruptured the delicate peace in the region".
The Delhi High Court on Tuesday suggested the young patients should be prioritised in the distribution of Liposomal Amphotericin B drug, used for treating black fungus, "as they hold promise of future over the older ones who have lived their lives".
Giving information about the cases of black fungus, Kejriwal said nearly 944 cases of black fungus have been reported in Delhi, of these nearly 300 patients are being treated in various Central government-run hospitals here.
