Time for booster shots, India Inc tells its employees

Taking early guard against a possible third wave, India Inc leaders are encouraging employees to go in for Covid booster shots as soon as they are available as new cases of the infection surge across the country.

Many corporates, with some executives who had taken booster shots abroad and yet caught the virus again, say vaccinations and boosters help lower the mortality risk and the burden on the country's health infrastructure.

"While vaccinations and boosters may not prevent Covid, they have certainly reduced the severity of the virus impact on health, and recovery is faster. We must conduct businesses with Covid protocols. It is not going to disappear so soon," the chairman of a large conglomerate said. There is a growing debate on the importance to take booster vaccinations and protect health and economy with the third wave impacting people globally.

The booster dose, or 'precautionary' dose as the government is calling it, is allowed from January 10 for people who are 60 and above with comorbidities. Boosters should be taken nine months after the second dose. Currently, healthcare and frontline workers are eligible for it.

Executives fear that while Omicron may not cause a severe disease, it would cause disruption of operations and services.

"People eligible should get booster doses on priority," said Alok Roy, chair, FICCI Health Services Committee & chairman, Medica Group of Hospitals.

Roy said the government shouldn't have waited till January 10 and should have immediately began rolling out Covid vaccines.

"We are seeing many cases and Omicron is suspect. Though most cases are mild, still an employee or worker diagnosed with Covid will have to sit at home; that's a cause of concern for most corporations," Roy said.


Senior executives of several top corporate houses and industrialists have caught the virus through international travel and social gatherings even after double vaccinations and booster doses. "It is not that the vaccines or booster doses will prevent Covid, but it has significantly affected hospitalisation and mortality levels," said the chairman of a leading conglomerate with first-hand knowledge of the growing cases in the corporate sector.

N Chandrasekaran, chairman of Tata Sons, addressing employees, said, "Businesses and society must adapt to it by preparing as best we can for new outbreaks and variants. We are seeing this now with the spread of Omicron. India's brilliant vaccine programme has built a vast wall of protection, and infections, so far, seem to be mild."

He cautioned employees to not to let their guard down and follow the latest health protocol including taking booster shots when they become available.

With antibodies coming down, it's the right time to get the booster as it will improve immunity, said Naresh Trehan, chairman, CII National Council on Healthcare.

"We have not seen any adverse effect of the booster as yet," Trehan, who is also the chairman of Medanta - The MediCity, said.

Since the cost of the vaccines have been amortised, the government and corporates should negotiate to give the vaccine to employees at a more reasonable cost, added Trehan.

"We are waiting to get permission for the booster to give our employees," said Naushad Forbes, co-chairman of Forbes Marshall.

Besides, there is abundance of vaccine stock; so there is a huge opportunity to start the booster doses. With the approval of Covovax, it should be made available for the booster doses. We need to quickly get going as time is of essence now, he said. Studies say that booster doses have the best chance of protecting against the Omicron variant, as they boost the neutralizing multiple-fold antibodies which drop six months after vaccination.

Many countries including the US, UK, Israel and others, have approved booster doses.