Upon the recommendation of the National Immunization Technical Advisory Group (NI-TAG), the health ministry has decided to roll out the third dose of COVID vaccination. However, the dose will be first provided only to front-line workers and those with underlying health conditions. For the general population, the NI-TAG is considering a booster dose.
Before the ministry rolls out the third dose of vaccination for this group of the population at the earliest, they will first conduct screenings to list out the eligible population. A member of the NI-TAG, Dr Sonam Wangchuk, said that the third dose would be necessary for this group of people as most vaccines would not develop an adequate level of antibody, even after the second dose.
As for the general population, the doctor said that if the study suggests a declining efficacy of the previous shots, they would be provided with a booster dose. For now, the government is looking for donors to support the country with test kits for testing antibodies.
“We have already collected samples but we couldn’t test the sample as we are still looking for some funding support to buy the test kits. Once we get the test kits we will test our samples,” the doctor said.
The NI-TAG expects to collect at least 22,000 samples for antibody testing. According to the doctor, one sample would require at least five times testing to determine the level of antibody.
“To test the entire sample, it would require some half a million dollars,” he said.
Today, a few developed countries have started providing booster doses to the first cohort of their population, who were completely vaccinated, those with underlying health conditions, and elderly citizens whose antibody level has been found declining after six months of vaccination.
In Bhutan, since the first cohort of vaccine recipients have completed just three months of complete vaccination, Dr Sonam Wangchuk said there is still some time before the antibody testing begins.
Meanwhile, the doctor also expressed his concerns over the access of vaccines as messenger RNA vaccine manufacturers have received pre-orders of vaccines till 2025.
Karma Wangdi
Edited by Chayku
