‘Precaution’ dose - All you need to know about the third dose

By Dr. Sandeep Budhiraja in Covid-19 Vaccination

Jan 19 , 2022 | 1 min read

India has started administering the third dose against Covid to senior citizens with comorbidities and frontline and healthcare workers from 10th January 2022. It is called a ‘precaution’ dose in India and not a booster dose. Around 5.75 people are eligible for the third dose of vaccine. Keep reading to check if you are eligible and get more information about the third dose.

Eligibility

Senior citizens with comorbidities, healthcare workers, and frontline workers are eligible to receive the third dose.

Election duty officials in duty-bound states such as Uttar Pradesh, Manipur, Goa, Punjab, Uttrakhand will be counted under frontline workers and are eligible for the third dose.

According to the government, there needs to be a gap of 9 months(39 weeks) between the second and third dose.

No mix and match

The third dose will be the same as the first and second dose.
If you received Covishield previously, you would get the third dose of Covishield, and if you received Covaxin, the third dose would also be of Covaxin.

Reminder SMS

Reminder SMS are sent by COWIN to those who are eligible for the third dose.

Walk-in facility

Though the online booking for the third dose started on 8th January, you can go to any vaccination center directly. You need to carry a government-issued Id card such as an Aadhar card, Voter Id card, PAN Card, etc.

No need for a medical certificate

You need not provide any medical certificate for getting the precautionary dose, but senior citizens with comorbidities are advised to consult their doctor before taking the third dose.

Three months waiting period for people who had Covid infection recently

It is advised that people who recently had Covid infection should wait for three months before getting the third dose, even if they are eligible to get the shot.

Importance of precautionary dose

Immunity built by vaccination and previous Covid infection is waning, and with the advent of a new variant- Omicron, precautionary dose has become even more critical. It will mitigate the severity of Covid infection and decrease the chances of hospitalization and fatality. So get yourself vaccinated now if you are eligible.