Second Covishield dose can be given between 8-16 weeks, NTAGI recommends

The National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (NTAGI) has proposed that the time between the first and second doses of COVID-19 vaccination Covishield be reduced to 8- 16 weeks. Under the National COVID-19 Vaccination Strategy, the second dose of Covishield is being administered 12-16 weeks following the first dose.

The NTAGI has not yet recommended any changes to the schedule for Bharat Biotech's Covaxin, whose second dosage is given 28 days following the first. The Covishield suggestion has yet to be adopted in the national COVID-19 immunisation programme. "The current NTAGI suggestion is based on contemporary worldwide scientific findings gathered from programmatic data," said PTI, quoting an official source.

"According to it, when the second dosage of Covishield is delivered eight weeks onwards, the antibody response created is practically same when supplied at an interval of 12 to 16 weeks," the source said.

A few months after the start of the COVID-19 immunisation campaign in January 2021, the government on May 13 increased the time between the first and second doses of the Covishield vaccine from 6-8 weeks to 12-16 weeks based on NTAGI recommendations.

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NTAGI is India's highest immunisation advisory council, providing recommendations and advise to the Union Health Ministry on vaccination and immunisation services for the efficient management of vaccine-preventable illnesses in the country.

According to figures published on Sunday by the health ministry, India has administered over 181.21 crore doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. On Saturday, more than 15.34 lakh vaccination doses were administered.

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