Explained: What is the difference between a booster and an additional vaccine against Covid-19?

With the Omicron variant of Covid-19 Spreading across the country, the need for an additional booster or jab may seem more urgent than ever.

The National Immunization Technical Advisory Group (NTAGI) will meet on Monday to deliberate on issues of childhood immunizations and the administration of additional doses of Covid-19 vaccine to immunocompromised. The expert group is also expected to come up with a comprehensive policy for the additional dose of the Covid-19 vaccine and the vaccination of children, as the chairman of the Indian Covid-19 task force, NK Arora, has informed.

“Policy will determine who needs the vaccine, when and how. This has to be seen in the context of the arrival of a new variant and over time we will get more information about it. Therefore, the relevance and efficacy of current vaccines will only become apparent over time, ”said Arora.

What is an extra dose of a Covid-19 vaccine?

An additional dose, originally called a third dose, is given to people with moderately or severely compromised immune systems to improve their response to the initial series of vaccines. The term “third dose” was used to refer to additional doses for the two mRNA vaccines, but now the term is “additional dose” because those who received a “one dose” vaccine from Johnson & Johnson may also be eligible. at a dose based on their immune system.

People with weakened immune systems may not develop enough immunity after being vaccinated with two doses of a vaccine. An additional dose could therefore improve their protection against the novel. coronavirus.

What is a booster shot?

A booster shot is nothing more than a way to boost one’s immune system against a particular pathogen. It may be the exact same original vaccine, in which case its goal is to increase the extent of protection by producing more antibodies.

The booster dose is an additional dose after the protection provided by the original dose (s) has started to wane over time. Usually, you will receive a booster after the immunity from the initial dose (s) naturally begins to wane. The booster is designed to help people maintain their immunity levels for longer. What a booster does is that it gives memory cells the crucial signal to re-engage when the virus attacks.

So what’s the difference between the two?

A Covid-19 booster is given when a person has completed their series of vaccines and protection against the virus has waned over time. Depending on the original series you had, some details will vary.

An additional dose, however, is given to people with moderately to severely compromised immune systems. This additional dose is intended to improve the response of immunocompromised people to their initial series of vaccines. Experts say offering these recipients a third dose could help them match an immune response similar to that of generalized, healthy populations.

Third doses of Covid-19 are thus offered to people with immune vulnerabilities, which could possibly include Cancer patients (those in remission or chemotherapy), or those who have received an organ transplant. These can only be offered on a case-by-case basis and may not exactly be subject to public deployment.

Are there any differences in their dosage?

While the additional dose of Covid would be a “full” dose of the vaccine, the boosts currently offered have a smaller volume, since the third dose is only meant to increase the range of effectiveness.

Experts have also suggested that there might be differences in the side effects one might expect. With the booster shots, we found a higher intensity or symptoms similar to those that can be experienced with the second dose. However, it is not yet clear how serious or safe a third dose might be.

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