Will 2 New Vaccines Be Used As Boosters? Decision "Within Days"

The government will soon take a call whether the two new Covid vaccines approved today,  Corbevax and Covovax, may be used for booster doses -- an issue on which deliberations are on. The government had so far announced a third "precautionary dose" for health and frontline workers and senior citizens whose immunity is compromised. But a decision on booster dose for all -- as is happening in some nations with the surfacing of the highly contagious Omicron strain -- is yet to be taken.

Today, sources told NDTV that a decision is expected "within days".

If these vaccines are approved for a booster dose, a mix and match of vaccines is likely, since they both are different from Covishield and Covaxin, which use inactivated cold virus.

Sources said the two vaccines are also being considered for use of children.

The vaccines -- Serum Institute of India's Covovax and Biological E's Corbevax -- were authorised for "restricted use in emergency situation" earlier today.

The Corbevax is the country's first "RBD protein sub-unit vaccine" -- meaning it is made from a purified particle of the virus which triggers a strong immune response. The antibodies thus created target the spike protein of a virus, limiting its ability to latch onto body cells and penetrate them.

Covovax -- the Serum Institute's version of protein-based vaccine developed by Novavax -- also targets the spike protein on the surface of coronavirus.

In August 2020, Novavax had announced a license agreement with the Serum Institute for development and commercialisation of its NVX-CoV2373, in India and some low and middle-income countries.

The third shots of vaccine for healthcare, frontline workers and those above the age of 60 with comorbidities will begin in the country from January 10. Those aged between 15 and 18 years will get vaccinated from January 3.

More than 1.4 billion doses of vaccines have been administered in the county so far.