The gap between two doses of the Covishield vaccine should be prolonged from 28 days to six to eight weeks for better results, according to a letter sent to states and union territories by the government.
The order was issued in the midst of round two of statewide vaccinations, in which persons over the age of 60 and those over the age of 45 with other ailments are being immunized.
The amended interval only applies to Serum Institute of India’s Covishield – the vaccine manufactured by Oxford AstraZeneca – and not to Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin, according to the center’s letter today.
The current interval between two doses is 28 days, or four to six weeks.
“In view of the emerging scientific evidence, the interval between two doses of a specific COVID-19 vaccine, Covishield, has been revisited by the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunization (NTAGI) and subsequently by National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration for COVID-19,” the letter said.
According to the letter from the center, “protection appeared to be improved if the second dose of Covishield was administered between six and eight weeks but not later than that.”
Covishield and Covaxin were used in the vaccination drive, which began on January 16 with healthcare workers and progressed to frontline workers.
The Health Ministry previously stated that two doses of vaccine must be taken 28 days apart to complete the immunization schedule. The “protective antibody levels” were commonly created two weeks after the second dose” the ministry said.
Since January, more than 4.50 crore vaccination doses have been administered throughout the country.
Over the last few weeks, India has seen an increase in coronavirus cases, with the daily increase remaining above 30,000 since March 18.
India confirmed 46,951 new coronavirus infections today, a four-month high and the largest so far this year, bringing the total COVID-19 infections in the country to 1,16,46,081.
