India

Boosters Can Wait, Vaccinate All First: AIIMS Chief Dr Randeep Guleria

By
OB Bureau

New Delhi: All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS) chief Randeep Guleria has said that “the idea of booster doses can wait” and India should at the moment focus on vaccinating as many people as possible to curb the spread of COVID-19. He was speaking in the backdrop of countries like the USA and Brazil going in for a third shot.

“I think we should focus on vaccinating those who have not been vaccinated till now, especially the high-risk group. Still many healthcare workers, many elderly and those with comorbidities have not been vaccinated, and they are the ones who have a chance of having more severe disease and dying because of Covid-19,” Guleria was quoted as saying by the news agency ANI.

Guleria also suggested increasing investment in research for antivirals or drugs that can be used in treatment against COVID-19. “We are still using a lot of repurposed drugs rather than any specific antiviral for Covid-19. And unfortunately, a lot of investment went into vaccine development but we didn’t really invest that much into research for antivirals or a drug which could have been effective against the virus,” he was quoted as saying by Indian Express.

“I really think that we need to push more in research in developing good antiviral drug; along with the vaccine, we need to have good drugs which are effective, which can be given easily to patients and are useful in the long run. We don’t have such a drug as of now,” he added.

The AIIMS chief further said that Sero Survey suggested that there may not be as many coronavirus cases in a likely third Covid wave if vaccinations continue in strength. Till now the country has administered over 60 crore Covid-19 vaccines.

OB Bureau

Recent Posts

Odisha Govt To Engage ‘Bank Mitras’ To Resolve Suhbadra Scheme Issues

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government is set to engage ‘bank mitras’ to resolve problems faced by…

November 25, 2024

SC Junks Pleas Challenging Addition Of Words ‘Socialist’, ‘Secular’ To Preamble To The Constitution, Here’s What CJI Said

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday (Nov 25) dismissed petitions challenging the inclusion of…

November 25, 2024

Odisha STA Seizes Actress Rani Priyadarshini’s Scooter For Filming Reel Without Helmet

Bhubaneswar: The State Transport Authority (STA) of Odisha has seized the scooter of jatra actress…

November 25, 2024

Three Killed After Google Map Leads Their Vehicle To Unfinished Bridge

Bareilly: Blind trust on technology can be detrimental too. That’s exactly what happened to three…

November 25, 2024

Winter Session Begins With Disruptions, Both Houses Adjourned Amid Opposition’s Ruckus Over ‘Modani’ Scam

New Delhi: Proceedings in both Lok Sabha  and Rajya Sabha for the ongoing Winter Session…

November 25, 2024

Bangladeshi Girl ‘Trafficking’ Case In Odisha: Couple Arrested For Forcing Her Into Prostitution

Cuttack: After rescuing a minor Bangladeshi girl, Madhupatna Police in Odisha’s Cuttack city have arrested…

November 25, 2024

2nd Maharashtra Tigress Zeenat Released Into Core Area Of Similipal In Odisha

Baripada: Ten days after being put in a soft enclosure inside Similipal Tiger Reserve (STR)…

November 25, 2024

Odisha GDP Suspends Jonk Police Station IIC For Dereliction Of Duty

Nuapada: Inspector In-Charge (IIC) of Jonk police station in Odisha’s Nuapada district, Gurudev Karmi, has…

November 25, 2024