What is the Difference Between Precautionary Dose & Booster Shot Of Covid 19 Vaccine?

PM Modi has recently announced on December 25th, 2021 that the Covid 19 vaccination for the precautionary dose would be soon carried out for a certain group of people. But many people at once noticed that this dose is not being called a booster but a precaution dose. The dose would be administered to the frontline workers, healthcare workers and people over the age of 60 possessing some comorbidities. 

The word ‘precautionary dose’ caused a lot of confusion among the population of our country. Let us know below the difference between the booster dose and the precautionary dose here. 

Currently, India has administered two doses of vaccine- the first and the second dose of the Covid19 vaccine. 

An officer from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said, "We need to keep this in mind that our Prime Minister has named the dose as ‘precautionary’ and not booster doses. The panels are still deliberating over boosters for other populations."

The Prime Minister did not call the booster dose as the world is calling it to portray the dose as an abundant precaution against the virus as Indians have hybrid immunity. The precaution dose would also ensure some sort of confidence among the people belonging to healthcare and front line sectors along with the general public. 

What is the Difference Between Precautionary Dose & Booster Shot Of Covid 19 Vaccine?

What is a precautionary dose?

It is a third dose or an additional dose of the vaccine that would be administered to those people who are frail. The doses would be administered when prescribed by doctors and health practitioners. It would be for people with comorbidities like HIV, cancer etc as such people do not respond to vaccines well and have a weaker immune response than the others.

What is a booster shot?

A booster vaccine dose is an additional shot that would be administered to people who have fading immunities. The effect of the doses fades within five to six months in some people which is why it is essential for them to have booster shots. These are particularly offered to those who have a higher risk threshold or are susceptible to waning immunity because of natural causes. These mainly include frontline workers and people of older age (probably above 65). 

Other differences

However, the third dose is going to work a bit differently than the first two and the booster shot. It would be given only to those who are highly immunocompromised. Also, the effect of the third dose can be equivalent to the workings of the two doses. 

The third dose offered would be a complete dose of the vaccine while the boosters shot is a diminished amount of vaccine to just generate the effect. 

So overall there is no such difference between the booster dose and the precautionary dose other than the name of the doses and their projections. However the word precautionary sounds more convincing and motivating.