Those who test positive for the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) should wait six months before getting vaccinated, according to a government panel. The National Technical Advisory Group on Immunization (NTAGI), which advises on the Covid-19 vaccines, also recommended that the time interval between the two doses of Covishield be increased from six to eight weeks to 12 to 16 weeks. This announcement comes at a time when vaccines are in short supply across the country.
The National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration for COVID-19 (NEGVAC) will now review and approve NTAGI’s recommendations.
The Centre had previously increased the time interval between two doses of the Serum Institute of India (SII) vaccine from 28 days to six to eight weeks in March. The interval between the two doses of Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin has not been changed. “We’re suspending the vaccination drive for the age group of 18-44 for the time being owing to the shortage of the vaccines,” Maharashtra health minister Rajesh Tope said on Wednesday.
The panel also stated that pregnant women can get either of the two Covid-19 vaccines, and lactating women can get vaccines at any time after delivery.
Vaccines do not harm the placenta in pregnant women, according to a recent study published in the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology. The majority of patients in these studies received either the Moderna or Pfizer vaccines, neither of which are currently available in India. According to the news agency PTI, the study will help ease widespread vaccine apprehension, particularly among pregnant women.
“From what we can tell, the Covid vaccine does not damage the placenta,” said Jeffery Goldstein, assistant professor at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in the US.
