Covid-19: Karnataka to seek booster shots for frontline, health workers

HUBBALLI/BENGALURU: Karnataka chief minister Basavaraj Bommai said on Wednesday that he would speak to Union health minister Mansukh Mandaviya in Delhi on Thursday about giving booster shots to healthcare workers and frontline workers in the state.

“Frontline workers had obtained both doses six to seven months ago,” Bommai told reporters in Hubbali. “In a recent meeting with experts, the issue of administering booster doses for frontline workers was discussed. We will obtain an opinion from the Union government.” Besides Mandaviya, Bommai is scheduled to meet other Union ministers as well as central BJP leaders during his Delhi visit.

The demand for a booster shot, particularly for healthcare and frontline workers, has gained momentum amid mounting fear over the new Covid variant Omicron.

According to an official source in the central government, an expert committee on immunisation is considering to recommend an “additional dose” to those who are at high risk of contracting the virus.

A final decision on this issue will be taken by the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (NTAGI) next week, which will then be considered by the health ministry for approval. The demand for booster shot comes amid reports that several states and private hospitals have stocks of soon-to-be-expired vaccine stocks.