Covishield dose gap to be reduced

New Delhi: India's top 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. Presently, the second dose of Covishield is given between 12-16 weeks after the first dose under the National Covid-19 Vaccination Strategy.

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.