India, May 14: The government on Thursday accepted the recommendation by the Covid working group and has decided to increase the gap between two dose of the Covishield vaccine from 6-8 weeks to 12-16 weeks.
Increase the gap between two doses of Serum Institute of India’s Oxford Covid-19 vaccine ‘Covishield‘ to 12-16 weeks, a government panel had recommended.
Currently, the interval between two doses of Covishield is four to eight weeks.
Those who have tested positive for Covid-19 and are waiting to take the vaccine should defer vaccination for six months after recovery, the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (NTAGI) recommended.
A three-month interval between doses of the Oxford Covid-19 vaccine results in higher vaccine efficacy than a six-week gap.
According to a new study which says the first dose can offer up to 76 per cent protection in the months between the two jabs, a study in Lancet said.
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The results of the analysis from a Phase 3 randomised controlled trial, published in The Lancet journal, suggested that the interval between doses can be safely extended to three months given the protection a single dose offers.
“In the long term, a second dose should ensure long-lived immunity, and so we encourage everyone who has had their first vaccine to ensure they receive both doses,” said study lead author Professor Andrew Pollard from the University of Oxford.
