Weighing the choices

by vijay banco

Posted on 13-April-2022 8:36:38 AM    0 Comments    4103 view(s)

Weighing the choices

Opening up the third dose for those above 18 years is a positive step

As India sees a steady slump in its daily coronavirus count, the Centre has announced opening up the third, or ‘precautionary doses’, to everyone over 18 years. The restriction is that these doses must be the same as the ones administered earlier and there must be at least a nine-month gap following the second dose, implying that Covishield and Covaxin will comprise almost all of the demand. The experience of the past two years from around the world has shown that the third dose has only a little additional benefit over two doses in preventing an infection because of the constantly mutating character of the virus. But, because it helps keep antibody levels boosted, they are useful in protecting against a severe infection. A major aspect of vaccines is the risk of adverse events following vaccination, and previous experience has suggested that certain vaccines may induce a higher risk of blood clots in younger populations. While these instances are extremely limited, they become particularly relevant in India given the size of the population and that a large number of people — young and old — have already been exposed to the virus. Normally, a technical committee of experts, such as the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (NTAGI), weighs the evidence before recommending an approved vaccine for roll-out but this practice has been effectively eschewed in the context of booster doses, as well as earlier decisions to inoculate those below 15.

The pandemic is far from over and reports from several other countries suggest that no country can consider itself immune from emerging variants. With schools reopened, mask mandates made voluntary and restrictions on international travel lifted in India, it is reasonable for the Centre to anticipate a future wave led by a more transmissible variant — reports of the highly infectious XE variant have already surfaced here — and, therefore, take steps to buffer against it. However, there is no public information on whether studies have been done to establish if administering a different vaccine as a third dose is better at boosting antibodies than repeating a vaccine. This ideally ought to have been a major area of research for the Centre. Another aspect that bears a closer look is progress on vaccines other than Covaxin and Covishield. The Serum Institute of India appears to be gearing up for large volumes of, not Covishield, but Covavax. Covaxin, following the World Health Organization’s recommendation to pause exports pending an upgrade of its production facilities, is also unlikely to see fresh stocks any time soon. Both vaccines in fact will be available at discounted rates in private facilities. Demand is currently lacklustre but were it to spike, will supply be adequate? The Centre needs to be more transparent about the rationale guiding its vaccine policy.

The Hindu Editorial (Weighing the choices) – Apr 12, 2022:

1.      weigh (verb) – consider, think about, contemplate, deliberate about, reflect on.

2.      choice (noun) – option, possibility, possible course of action.

3.      precautionary (adjective) – preventive, safety, protective.

4.      vaccine (noun) – a biological preparation that improves immunity to a particular disease.

5.      dose (noun) – an amount/quantity of something, especially a medicine/drug prescribed to be taken at a specific time.

6.      open up (phrasal verb) –  to make something available/accessible.

7.      slump (noun) – decline, tumble, downturn, steep fall, decrease.

8.      coronavirus (CoV) (noun) – a large family of viruses that cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases. common signs of infection include respiratory symptoms, fever, cough, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties. In more severe cases, infection can cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure and even death. (Courtesy: WHO)

9.      count (noun) – (total) number.

10. administer (verb) – dispense, provide, give, apply (a drug/vaccine).

11. imply (verb) – suggest, hint, intimate.

12. Oxford vaccine/Covishield (noun) – (ChAdOx1 nCoV-19) or (AZD1222) is named Covishield in India. Serum Institute of India (SII), a biotechnology company has partnered with global pharma giant AstraZeneca and Oxford University for this vaccine candidate ‘Covidshield’.

13. Covaxin (noun) – India’s first indigenous COVID-19 vaccine candidate (COVAXIN) developed by a Hyderabad-based company (Bharat Biotech) in collaboration with the ICMR (The Indian Council of Medical Research).

14. mutate (verb) – change (genetically), undergo (genetic change).

15. character (noun) – nature, identity; attributes, features, qualities, properties, traits.

16. antibody (noun) – it is also called ‘immunoglobulin’; a protective protein produced mainly by plasma (blood) cells in the immune system in response to the presence of antigens (disease causing organisms (bacteria & viruses) and other harmful/toxic foreign substances like insect venom).

17. adverse (adjective) – dangerous, harmful, detrimental, unhealthy; unfavourable, disadvantageous, bad.

18. vaccination (noun) – treatment with a vaccine to protect against a particular disease; immunization.

19. induce (verb) – bring about, bring on, cause, give rise to.

20. blood clot (noun) – a thrombus is a blood clot, and thrombosis is the formation of a clot that reduces blood flow.

21. instance (noun) – a specific case.

22. relevant (adjective) – pertinent, applicable, appropriate, suitable, applicable.

23. given (preposition) – considering, taking into account, bearing in mind.

24. expose (verb) – come into contact with (the disease causing virus).

25. National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (NTAGI) (noun) – The National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (NTAGI) was established by an order of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) in 2001. As India’s apex advisory body on immunization, the NTAGI provides guidance and advice to the MoHFW on provision of vaccination and immunization services for the effective control of vaccine preventable diseases in the country. The National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation in India (NTAGI) fulfils a need for informing decision-making concerning the introduction of new vaccines and strengthening the Universal Immunisation Programme (UIP).  

26. roll-out (noun) – official launch/introduction.

27. eschew (verb) – avoid, ignore, reject, rebuff, refuse; renounce, forgo.

28. context (noun) – circumstances, conditions, factors, state of affairs.

29. as well as (phrase) – and in addition; and also.

30. inoculate (verb) – to inject/introduce a vaccine into the body of someone to produce immunity to a particular disease; immunize, vaccinate.

31. pandemic (noun) – the worldwide spread of a new disease; The illness spreads around the world and typically affects a large number of people across a wide area.

32. far from (phrase) – not, not at all; nowhere near, a long way from.

33. immune (adjective) – resistant, not subject, not liable (from the effects of something); freed from, absolved from, released from, excused from, relieved of, spared from, excepted from, exempted from.

34. variant (noun) – different or form or version or mutant of something (virus).

35. mandate (noun) – instruction, directive, direction, decree, command, order.

36. lift (verb) – cancel, remove, withdraw, revoke, discontinue.

37. anticipate (verb) – wait for, expect, await.

38. infectious (adjective) – transmissive, contagious, communicable, transmissible, spreading.

39. XE variant (noun) – XE is a recombinant variant of the SARS COV 2 virus. XE is a cross between Omicron’s two most well-known strains, BA.1 (original strain) and BA.2 (the more infectious strain).

40. surface (verb) – emerge, arise, appear.

41. buffer (verb) – lessen, diminish, moderate, mitigate.

42. establish (verb) – prove, demonstrate, show, indicate.

43. ought to (modal verb) – must, should.

44. bear (verb) – undergo, go through, experience.

45. gear up (phrasal verb) – get ready, prepare, equip (oneself) for something.

46. covavax (noun) – Covavax is a two-dose COVID-19 vaccine  and it will be used for children aged above 3 years.

47. pause (verb) – stop, cease, halt, discontinue.

48. upgrade (noun) – improvement, betterment, enhancement.

49. facility (noun) – amenity, resource, service, centre, place, location (provided for a particular purpose).

50. unlikely (adjective) – doubtful, implausible, improbable, questionable.

51. any time soon (phrase) – in the very near future (but an exact time or date isn’t known).

52. in fact (phrase) – actually, in actuality, really, in reality.

53. lacklustre (adjective) – dull, uninspired/uninteresting, mundane.

54. spike (noun) – a sharp rise/increase of something.

55. transparent (adjective) –  straightforward, open, candid, honest, direct.

56. rationale (noun) – reason, logic, grounds, basis, motive.