COVID-19: NTAGI to hold meeting next week on vaccination of children, booster shots

The National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (NTAGI) will be holding a meeting next week to decide on COVID-19 vaccination plan on children as well as the deliberate on the administration of third dose, sources told India Today on Tuesday.

The sources also added they might have final recommendations in that meeting. After that National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration for COVID-19 (NEGVAC) will take a final call.

During its last meeting, the NTAGI had made no final recommendation on additional COVID-19 vaccine doses and vaccines for children. However, both the issues were discussed in the meeting and the booster dose was not on the agenda of the meeting.

Earlier, the Centre had told the Delhi High Court that both COVID-19 advisory teams NTAGI and NEGVAC are deliberating and considering scientific evidence related to the dosing schedule of COVID-19 vaccines as well as the need and justification of booster doses of COVID-19 vaccines.

The Centre response came on an affidavit filed in response to the Court's query on the aspects of the administration of booster dose of COVID-19 vaccine and whether it was necessary or not and the timeline within which the same is proposed to be rolled out.

The Court's remark had come while observing growing advocacy of booster dose in the West. Delhi High Court was hearing various issues concerning to COVID-19 crisis.