Can India fight the BF.7 COVID variant, behind China's big wave, through booster doses?

The unfolding COVID-19 situation in China has set alarm bells ringing around the world – especially in India.

After all, India has confirmed at least four cases of the BF.7, a sub-lineage of the omicron variant BA.5, currently driving the surge in China.

On Wednesday, health minister Mansukh Mandaviya, after a high-level meeting to review the COVID-19 situation in India and preparedness of public health system, tweeted that “COVID isn’t over yet”.

Mandaviya also urged the public to take their precaution dose – noting that less than a third of people had done so.

But why are boosters important? Why are some hesitant to get them? And will they help keep the new variant at bay?

Let’s take a closer look:

What are booster shots?

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A booster shot, also known as a dose shot, is an extra dose of a vaccine administered after the original shots.

Booster shots are typically administered after the protection offered from the earlier doses begins to wane.

The aim is to ‘boost’ protection against the disease.

In India, the gap between the first two COVID-19 vaccine doses and the booster shot was initially nine months.

It was later brought down to six months in July 2022 by the Centre.

Israel in December 2021 became the first country to recommend a second booster shot to those considered at high-risk.

As per Japan Times, Chile, Sweden, Germany and South Korea have also endorsed a second booster for senior citizens, the immunocompromised and medical workers.

Dr Charu Dutt Arora, consultant physician and infectious disease specialist head, Ameri Health, Asian Hospital, Faridabad, told the Hindustan Times the unvaccinated and those with weak immune systems are at a high risk of being infected by BF.7.

Yet, some in India remain unconvinced about the need for getting booster shots.

Why are some people hesitant to get booster shots?

The Times of India in July quoted a survey showing vaccine hesitancy at a higher level in tier 2 and 3 cities than in tier 1 cities.

The newspaper, quoting a YouGov survey that polled 1013 urban respondents across India, showed that 64 per cent said they would not take boosters as they were confident in the first two doses. Meanwhile, 19 per cent said they were afraid of side effects and 17 per cent were concerned about long-term side effects

Fifteen per cent were further unsure about booster's effectiveness.

How will current boosters fare against BF.7 variant?

Data show that the BF.7 displays better immune escape [when the host system is incapable of responding to an infection]  than its forebears.

That’s because of the mutation R346T in the virus’s spike protein (which allows it to attach and infect our cells).

The Quint quoted a recent study as showing that the BF.7 was also able to infect those who have had both shots and been boosted as well as those with hybrid immunity [vaccine doses plus prior infection].

But experts recommend a booster dose, saying that the mRNA vaccines continue to offer protection against the worst outcomes – severe illness and death.

Dr Ravindra Gupta, Dept of Internal Medicine at the CK Birla Hospital (R), Gurugram, told Hindustan Times, “…There is suspicion that this wave could kill one million people alone in China. It is also probable that if people get three to four shots of the vaccine, they may get protected. It is therefore very important for everyone to be more vigilant and responsive to taking COVID vaccines.”

“Only time will tell what will happen in the next few months, but we should be vigilant, seriously follow COVID-appropriate behaviour, and avoid traveling as much as possible,” Gupta added.

China, which is having a rougher go than the rest of the world at the moment where the rise in cases remains steady rather than explosive, may be an outlier, say experts.

As per The Wire, one explanation may be that the Chinese on a whole have a low level of immunity (as a result of their COVID-zero policy) and the intake and efficacy of their vaccines.

How can you get a booster shot?

It’s really simple.

With inputs from agencies

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