Insight bureau: The National Technical Group on Immunization will be holding a meeting today to decide on the possibility of administering additional doses of vaccine to immunocompromised individuals.

The development comes against the backdrop of India’s rising Omicron case tally and growing calls for booster jabs to be made available. According to sources, the meeting will include scientists from across the country.

Reportedly, the NTAGI is also slated to take up the issue of child immunization today. While the country has so far administered more than 1.27 billion jabs, children remain ineligible under the nationwide vaccination drive. Two vaccines have received emergency usage authorization for use on children. However, they are yet to become available to the public.

Health officials have differentiated between booster and additional doses, stating that the eligibility criterion is somewhat different. While both will be administered to people who have already been ‘fully vaccinated’, an additional dose is given to people facing problems with their immune functions in case they do not develop sufficient immunity to COVID-19. Meanwhile, a booster jab is given after a fixed period of time to individuals who have received two doses.