No need for fourth dose of Covid-19 vaccine given current evidence: Expert

Dr Raman Gangakhedkar, former head of epidemiology and communicable diseases at the ICMR, has discounted the need for the fourth dose of Covid-19 vaccine given the current evidence

Covid vaccine, Covid booster
Photo: Bloomberg
Press Trust of India Pune
2 min read Last Updated : Jan 25 2023 | 9:30 AM IST

Dr Raman Gangakhedkar, former head of epidemiology and communicable diseases at the Indian Council of Medical Research, has discounted the need for the fourth dose of COVID-19 vaccine given the current evidence about the coronavirus and its variants.

If a person has taken a third dose of the anti-COVID-19 vaccine, it means his T-cell immune response has been trained thrice, Dr Gangakhedkar said on the sidelines of a function on Tuesday.

"The core virus (of COVID-19) has not been changed so much that a new vaccine would be needed, so try and have trust in our T-cell immune response," he said.

"Looking at the current evidence (of variants of the virus), it is not that big that there is any need for the fourth dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. There are many reasons for that. Currently, whatever vaccines are there, the virus makes the escape mutants over them which causes infections," he said.

According to Dr Gangakhedkar, old people and those suffering from chronic morbidities should continue to take precautions such as wearing of masks.

"For the fourth dose, I think, there is still time to think, because if any new variant comes, it would not be from the SARS-COV2 family. It could be a completely new variant and when it comes, we will think about it as our genomic surveillance is still going on. No need to get worried now," he said.

Dr Gangakhedkar appealed to follow two things, including taking a precautionary dose and taking all the precautions for those who are in a vulnerable group.

He was speaking on the sidelines of a discussion on the book 'Braving a Viral Storm: India's COVID-19 Vaccine Story, organised by the Pune International Center.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

Subscribe to Business Standard digital and get complimentary access to The New York Times

Quarterly Starter

₹900

3 Months

₹300/Month

SAVE 25%

Smart Essential

₹2,700

1 Year

₹225/Month

Save 46%

Super Saver

₹3,900

2 Years

₹162/Month

Subscribe

Renews automatically, cancel anytime

Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans

Access to Exclusive Premium Stories Online

  • Over 30 behind the paywall stories daily, handpicked by our editors for subscribers

Complimentary Access to The New York Times

  • News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic

Business Standard Epaper

  • Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share

Curated Newsletters

  • Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox

Market Analysis & Investment Insights

  • In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor

Archives

  • Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997

Ad-free Reading

  • Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements

Seamless Access Across All Devices

  • Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app

More From This Section

Topics :Coronavirus VaccineICMR

First Published: Jan 25 2023 | 9:30 AM IST

Next Story