Written by Vedika Pathania, a second-year student.

A booster shot is a third dose of the Coivd-19 vaccine. As of 16^th August 2021, India has vaccinated 55.7 crore people out of which 12.3 are fully vaccinated. The talks of a third shot, however, have not surfaced in India.

So why might we need a third dose?

It is typical for vaccination protection to wane with time. Every ten years, for example, a tetanus booster is needed.

Researchers and health officials have been tracking the COVID-19 vaccine’s real-world performance to see how long it protects patients who have been vaccinated. The vaccinations that have been approved in the United States continue to provide excellent protection against serious disease and death.

Antibodies, one of the immune system’s layers of defence, have been found to decrease with time in laboratory blood testing. That doesn’t imply protection goes away; it only means protection isn’t as strong or that the body’s response time to infection is longer.

There is growing worry that COVID-19 vaccinations will not provide adequate protection against emerging SARS-CoV-2 virus strains. Israel has already begun to provide at-risk individuals with booster injections of the Pfizer vaccine, and the US is in negotiations with Pfizer about offering these shots for the most susceptible.

When would a third shot be given?

It all depends on when you first got your vaccinations. One possibility is that patients will be advised to obtain a booster injection eight months after receiving their second Pfizer or Moderna vaccination dose.

Who would be eligible?

Those who were the first to get vaccinated in the United States would very certainly be the first in line for boosters. That includes healthcare professionals, nursing-home residents, and other senior citizens who were among the first to receive the vaccine when it was approved in December.

Vaccines may not have provided adequate protection to transplant patients and those with weaker immune systems, to begin with. They can now get a third dosage at least 28 days following their second injection as part of their initial set of vaccinations. Boosters are administered much later after complete immunisation to people with normal immune systems, not to create protection, but to rev it up again.

It’s still unclear if people should obtain the same vaccine they did when they were originally immunised. Global vaccination availability is also critical for containing the pandemic and preventing the spread of new strains. Booster injections might put a strain on already scarce vaccination supplies throughout the world.

Do we need it?

Generally speaking, there are two reasons why people would seek vaccination boosters. The first is that immunity deteriorates with age. The immune system may become less capable of preventing infection or illness if it is not exposed to specific antigens on a regular basis. Booster vaccines assist the immune system in maintaining a protective response. Virus variations may also necessitate booster immunizations.

Some even question whether it is ethically correct to provide booster injections to those who have already been vaccinated while many people, particularly in developing countries, have not had even one shot and are thus at greater danger of illness. Others dispute if a third vaccination is necessary.

Key points summary

• A booster shot is a third dose of the Coivd-19 vaccine.
• It is typical for vaccination protection to wane with time. Every ten years, for example, a tetanus booster is needed.
• There is growing worry that COVID-19 vaccinations will not provide adequate protection against emerging SARS-CoV-2 virus strains.
• patients will be advised to obtain a booster injection eight months after receiving their second Pfizer or Moderna vaccination dose.
• Those who were the first to get vaccinated in the United States would very certainly be the first in line for boosters
• Boosters are administered much later after complete immunisation to people with normal immune systems, not to create protection, but to rev it up again.
• Booster injections might put a strain on already scarce vaccination supplies throughout the world.

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