Covid vaccine booster can increase immunity, help combat variants: AIIMS doctor

New Delhi: Dr Sanjeev Sinha, Department of Medicine, All India Medical Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi on Thursday revealed that booster dose of the covid vaccine can increase immunity and also help in combating a variant of concern.

"Many people who took vaccine in January have seen that they didn't get any serious side effect during the second wave. The vaccine is effective in preventing covid infection, but after six months of inoculation, there is doubt among people that will they have enough antibodies in the body to combat the speculative third wave," Dr Sinha told ANI.

He further said that research is going on in India, the US and other European countries and it is seen that booster doses will have a great effect.

"There are many viral diseases where booster dose is required like the Flu shot. The booster dose will increase immunity and can combat variant of concern," he added.

In May, AIIMS Delhi started the clinical trials of the third dose of the indigenous Covid-19 vaccine, the COVAXIN, as a booster dose, six months after administering the second dose.

The ongoing study is to be conducted on 190 participants who were already vaccinated with COVAXIN (as part of the phase 2 trial) six months ago.

The duration of this study will be six months and all participants will be followed up for six months after the third dose for their safety and immunogenicity.

The trial is going on in AIIMS Delhi and Patna.