(Dan Tri) – With the Indian government so far not giving booster doses, rich Indians are taking matters into their own hands by going abroad, to places like Dubai, the US and the UK, to get vaccinated.
Covid-19 vaccination for people in Bengaluru city, Karnataka state, India (Photo: ANI).
The appearance of the Omicron strain, believed to be more infectious than Delta, a variant that was once a horrifying `nightmare` for the Indian people, made the scientific community and medical industry in this country think.
That really gives Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government a headache, in a context where the South Asian country is still facing many difficulties in implementing the first round of vaccinations.
Recently, the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genetics Consortium (INSACOG), a network of national testing laboratories set up by the government to track Covid-19 variants, called on the government
However, so far, the central government has not signaled that it will open a booster vaccination campaign.
Meanwhile, wealthy Indians have flown abroad with their families to get booster doses themselves.
`I got the second dose in March, but by April the amount of antibodies had dropped quite sharply. Because the government had not yet made an official decision, I didn’t want to take the risk of taking health risks at the age of 60.`
The flight of rich Indians abroad is reminiscent of the situation in May, when the second wave of Covid-19 hit the country, forcing wealthy families to flee the country on private planes.
Dr. Kirit Parekh, a doctor at Fortis Hospital in New Delhi, said that while Omicron is not too scary, the government should still consider approving booster doses for people over 60 and the young.
`Typically, a person will get a booster shot when antibody levels start to wane after 8-10 months. A booster dose will help people maintain their immunity levels for longer. However, there is no evidence for
The World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended that people with weakened immune systems receive a booster dose.
