COVID-19: India begins administering booster dose

New Delhi, Jan 10: Health and frontline workers and senior citizens with co-morbidities are now being administered the third precautionary dose of vaccination against COVID-19.

The Centre has already issued detailed guidelines to all the states and Union Territories apart from conducting several meetings on how to implement the entire process without any glitches.

NITI Aayog Member (health), Dr. V K Paul said that the the third dose will be the same as the first dose. It would will be a homologous third or precautionary dose, her also said. Those who have received Covaxin will receive Covaxin and those who have taken Covishield will get the same dose, he also said.

Paul also said that this policy could be reviewed as and when more data on mixing and matching of vaccines are available. The third dose is part of the government's next phase of vaccinating the people with a booster shot. The move comes at a time when the country is battling the third wave of COVID-19 which has been driven by the highly transmissible Omicron variant.

On December 25, Prime Minister, Narendra Modi announced the opening of the phase beginning with the first of the under 18 population-children between 15 and 18. The phase began on January 3. The PM also announced that the coverage would be extended to all health and frontline workers. He also said that citizens aged 60 years and above with co-morbidities will also be eligible for the third dose of the vaccine.