Increase gap between two doses of Covishield to 6-8 weeks, Centre tells states | India News

NEW DELHI: The Centre on Monday said that the gap between the first and second doses of the AstraZeneca-Oxford University’s Covishield vaccine should be increased to 6-8 weeks from the current 28 days.
In a letter to states/UTs, the Centre said the decision has been taken since an increased gap between the two doses will lead to enhanced protection.

The decision was taken based on the recommendation of National Technical Advisory Group on Immunization (NTAGI) and National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration for Covid-19 (NEGVAC).
The Centre said that the decision of revised time interval between two doses is applicable only to Covishield and not to Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin.
“Keeping the existing scientific evidence in view, it appears that protection is enhanced if the second dose of Covishield is administered between 6-8 weeks, but not later than stipulated period of 8 weeks,” the Union health ministry said in a statement.