New Landmark in Indian Vaccine Trials After "Booster Shots" given to Candidates! What are Vaccine "Booster Shots"? Details

India’s indigenous coronavirus vaccine candidate Covaxin by Bharat Biotech reached a new milestone during human trials when it administered booster shots to 32 out of 50 candidates for trial on Tuesday and Wednesday. 

Generally, vaccines are administered to provide immunity for a long period of time. However, in certain cases, after giving the vaccine doses, booster shots are also administered. 

This is the second shot of the vaccine that has been given. This booster shot is likely to show how safe the vaccine is on human being. The first one was reportedly given to candidates in July. 

“We are in the middle of the Phase-I trial which will last for one more month. This week is crucial as we have administered the booster dose. We have been monitoring the patients on a weekly basis by checking their BP, heart rate, and other indices. We have also been using telemedicine facilities to monitor them,” said a senior doctor involved in the study.

Two shots were given to 50 patients in the first phase in order to examine how safe the vaccine is. 

“The idea is to look for fever, rashes or other conditions, which may appear as a reaction to the vaccine. In Phase-II, how many vaccines must be given to have an antibody response in the patients will be determined,” added another doctor.

Now that the safety of the vaccine has been examined, in this phase, the antibody- Titers' or level of antibodies generated in the patient’s body after the vaccine was administered, will be examined.