The National Technical Advisory Group on Immunization (NTAGI) on Sunday recommended the Union Ministry of Health to reduce the Covid-19 vaccine Covishield’s duration of the second dose to somewhere between 8 to 16 weeks after the first dose in view of the ongoing Omicron variant of the coronavirus infection, according to official sources. According to the present guidelines, the second dose of the Serum Institute of India (SII) Covishield vaccine is given after a time period of 12-16 weeks of the first dose.
“This is just a recommendation but no decision has been taken so far. The purpose behind the recommendations is to ramp up the vaccination and vaccinate beneficiaries for the second dose,” sources told ANI.
The Government of India on the basis of NTAGI recommendations in the month of May last year extended the gap between the two doses of the Covishield from 6-8 weeks to 12-16 weeks.
Meanwhile, the cumulative Covid-19 vaccination coverage in India has exceeded 181.21 crores and more than 1.50 crore doses of Covishield have been administered in India so far.