Why You Will Need One More Shot To Stay Safe From Covid

Covid vaccines were made in the middle of a pandemic with the mantra of ‘less is more, but now that supplies have improved, experts say it’s time to consider giving three doses for optimum protection Reuters

- Abhilash.Gaur

Half of India has now got at least one Covid shot, but in Israel, the government is stocking vaccines for a possible fourth dose. Through the summer it gave third shots to the 60-plus group, and in late August made everyone over 12 eligible.

At the other end of the vaccination scale, only 7% of people in Africa have got a shot. Israel’s vaccine push, therefore, seems excessive. Without naming any country, the WHO has called booster dosing against Covid ‘immoral’. “To start boosters is really the worst we can do as a global community,” WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.

Nevertheless, more and more rich countries are giving booster shots and, maybe, you too have been wondering when you will get yours. Here’s why booster dosing for Covid has started looking inevitable.

FADING IMMUNITY

Rich countries started giving third doses because infections among the fully vaccinated were rising, supporting the findings of studies that showed immunity created by vaccines declines within months. For example, a British study found the AstraZeneca/Covishield vaccine’s ability to prevent mild Covid after the second dose fell from 67% to 47% after 20 weeks.