Corona LIVE in the country: Serum Institute seeks DCGI's approval for Covishield as a booster dose

Pune's Serum Institute (SII) has sought permission from DCGI for the Kovishield vaccine as a booster dose in India. According to official sources, the Serum Institute of India has cited the demand for booster shots due to adequate stock of vaccine and emergence of new coronavirus variants in the country.

In an application to the country's Drugs Controller General (DCGI), the Serum Institute's Director of Regulatory Affairs Prakash Kumar Singh said that the UK's medical regulator has already approved a booster dose of AstraZeneca's Kovid vaccine. In such a situation, the company's vaccine should be approved in India as well.

Earlier, the company's CEO Adar Poonawalla had said on Tuesday that Serum Institute may make a booster dose of Covishield to deal with the Omicron variant. In a conversation with NDTV, Poonawalla had said – Omicron is being studied. It will take another 2 weeks to get more information on this. Scientists from Oxford are also researching the new variant. Based on their results, we can bring a new vaccine, which can be administered as a booster dose within 6 months.After the results of the research are out, information about the third and fourth doses can also be found.