Booster Dose of COVID Vaccine Applicable Only 9 Months After Second Jab: NHA

Dr RS Sharma said that eligible citizens must present a certificate of co-morbidities to get the booster dose.

Image used for representational purpose.

(Photo: Kamran Akhter/The Quint)

The third dose of COVID-19 vaccine, or a ‘precautionary dose’, can be administered to healthcare workers and those above the age of 60 suffering from comorbidities only nine months after the second COVID-19 vaccine shot, Dr RS Sharma, the CEO of National Health Authority, told ANI.

The chief of the COWIN platform said on Monday, 27 December, that eligible citizens must present a certificate of comorbidities from a registered physician in order to get the booster dose.

Dr Sharma added that upon registering on the platform, if a citizen says 'yes' to the co-morbidities option, they can successfully go to the vaccination center and get the jab as usual.

Dr Sharma told ANI, "You have to show your comorbidity certificate given by your registered physician to summarize your problem doctor and thereafter you will be able to get the job so there is nothing different.”

He said, “The process is exactly the same.”

On 25 December, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced that India will begin administering precautionary dose of COVID-19 vaccine from Monday, 10 January, to citizens over 60 years of age suffering from co-morbidities.

Sharma added that digitisation and the rapid adoption of technology has been a blessing for the healthcare sector during the pandemic, saying that "otherwise it would have been disastrous for all of us."

Meanwhile, India on Monday, reported 6,531 new coronavirus cases and 315 deaths, while Goa reported its first Omicron case.

Currently, there are 75,841 active cases in the country, with the most being in Kerala, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu.