The Covishield recommendation has not yet been implemented in the national COVID-19 vaccination programme.
Official sources said on Sunday that India’s apex body on vaccination, NTAGI, has recommended a second dose of the Kovid-19 vaccine Kovidshield between eight and 16 weeks after the first dose.
Currently, the second dose of Covishield is administered between 12-16 weeks after the first dose as part of the National COVID-19 Immunization Strategy.
The National Technical Advisory Group on Immunization (NTAGI) has so far not suggested any change in the schedule of Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin, the second dose of which is given 28 days after the first dose.
The Covishield recommendation has not yet been implemented in the national COVID-19 vaccination programme.
“The NTAGI’s latest recommendation is based on recent global scientific evidence derived from programmatic data,” an official source said.
“Accordingly, when the second dose of Covishield is given eight weeks later, the antibody response generated is approximately the same as when administered at 12 to 16-week intervals,” the source explained.
The source said that this decision will provide quick administration of the second dose of Kovidshield to the remaining six to seven crore persons amid rising cases in many countries.
The government had on May 13, 2021 increased the gap between the first and second doses of the Kovidshield vaccine from 6-8 weeks to 12-16 weeks based on the recommendations of the NTAGI.
NTAGI provides guidance and advice to the Union Health Ministry on immunization services for effective control of vaccine-preventable diseases in the country.
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