Covishield dose gap set to be reduced to 8 weeks

Country’s top immunisation body NTAGI has recommended the second jab of the vaccine between 8-16 wks after first shot, say govt sources

India’s apex body on immunisation NTAGI has recommended administering the second dose of Covid-19 vaccine Covishield between eight and 16 weeks after the first dose, official sources said on Sunday. Presently, the second dose of Covishield is given between 12-16 weeks after the first dose. The National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (NTAGI) has not yet suggested any change in the schedule of Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin, whose second dose is administered 28 days after the first dose.

The recommendation for Covishield is yet to be implemented in the national Covid-19 vaccination programme. “The latest recommendation of NTAGI is based on recent global scientific evidence derived from programmatic data,” said an official source. “According to it, when the second dose of Covishield is given eight weeks onwards, the antibody response generated is almost similar when administered at an interval of 12 to 16 weeks,” the source explained.

The decision will lead to accelerated administration of the second dose of Covishield to the remaining six to seven crore individuals amid rising cases in several countries, the source said. The government had on May 13, 2021, extended the gap between the first and second doses of Covishield from 6-8 weeks to 12-16 weeks based on the recommendations by NTAGI. Agencies

Meghalaya: Covid fear left 877 infants dead

As many as 877 newborn babies and 61 mothers have died as pregnant women refused to get admitted to hospitals for institutional delivery during the Covid-19 pandemic due to fears of contracting the disease, the Meghalaya government has informed the NHRC. The National Human Rights Commission has registered a case over the high number of maternal and newborn deaths in the state during the pandemic.

4,30,07,841
Total no. of Coronavirus cases in India so far

5,16,479
Total no. of deaths due to the virus in India so far

26,240
Total no of active cases in India

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