COVID-19: Bhutan becomes first country in South Asia to administer booster doses

In a bid to ramp up fight against coronavirus, Bhutan has started giving COVID-19 vaccine booster shots to its citizens, becoming first South Asian country to do so. From December 24, Bhutan started ministering third dose to target groups, including "at-risk" ults and those d 65 and older. ditionally, those eligible for booster dose will also include health workers, those suffering from chronic ailments and ults living in and around COVID hotspots or travelling to ar country.

"As we did for second dose, mix and match is recommended even for booster dose given its higher efficacy," a Bhutan Health official told it's state media BBS brocaster.

Bhutan has planned to jab more than 2 lakh people in a week as health department began its booster drive from December 24. Mass vaccination campaigns are also to be held in areas of high risk in all districts in Bhutan's capital Thimphu, where priority groups can avail booster shots hering to safety protocols, Bhutan Health Minister Dechen Wangmo was quoted as saying to BBS brocaster.

“w something worrying for us is transmission given that its transmissibility is two to three-fold higher than delta variant. For example, last time with delta variant, you will remember that sometimes parents would be infected but children were t. Even in Schools, some students were infected and some were t. But w with Omicron variant, that will t be case. Everyone will get infected. w we are also observing more of unvaccinated and younger children are getting hospitalized and seeing severity with infection," Wangmo ded, as reported by BBS.

Bhutan becomes first country in South Asia to begin COVID booster shots

Bhutan has become first country in South Asia to introduce COVID booster shots, BBS brocaster said. It has w joined or 36 countries, including Germany z Austria, Cana and France, which were among first few to ministering third jabs, Our World in Data reported. US tops list with at least 60 million booster shots given since it began rolling out third dose. It is followed by United Kingdom with 30.84 million and Germany, Brazil, and Russia completing 28.4 million, 23.78 million and 6.49 million simultaneously on December 23.

It is pertinent to mention that Bhutan has t reported any cases of vaccine-evasive Omicron variant, which was first reported from South Africa's Gauteng province. Owing to its stringent COVID-related protocols, Himalayan country of 7,50,000 people has reported only 2,659 cases and 3 deaths since pandemic began in early 2020.

(Im: @LotayTshering/Facebook/AP)