Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi, Mar 20: India’s main immunization organization, NTAGI has recommended that the second dosage of COVID-19 vaccine Covishield should be given between eight and 16 weeks following the first dose, according to official sources close to PTI.
Under the National Covid-19 Vaccination Strategy, the second dosage of Covishield is currently given 12-16 weeks following the first dose.
The National Technical Advisory Group on Immunization (NTAGI) has not yet recommended any changes to the schedule for Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin, which has a 28-day interval between doses. The national Covid-19 vaccination programme has failed to incorporate the Covishield recommendation.
“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.
According to the source, the decision will result in the faster administration of the second dose of Covishield to the remaining six to seven crore people, despite mounting cases in numerous nations.
Based on NTAGI’s recommendations, the government extended the time between the first and second doses of the Covishield vaccination from 6-8 weeks to 12-16 weeks on May 13, 2021.
NTAGI assists and advises on immunization services to the Union Health Ministry to effectively control vaccine-preventable diseases in the country.