Gap between Covishield vaccine doses extended to 12-16 weeks

The Health Ministry on Thursday announced that the gap between the first and second doses of Covidshield vaccine can be increased to 12-16 weeks from the existing six-eight weeks.

The recommendation to increase the interval between the two doses of Covishield was made by the Covid Working Group chaired by Dr N K Arora based on the new studies that were now available and the “real life experience” from Britain.

“Based on the available real-life evidences, particularly from UK, the Covid-19 Working Group agreed for increasing the dosing interval to 12-16 weeks between two doses of Covishield vaccine,” a health ministry statement said.

The ministry said there will be no change in the interval of Covaxin vaccine doses.

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This is the second time in three months that gap between Covishield doses have been increased.

In March, the ministry had asked states to increase the gap from 28 days to six-eight weeks saying the “protection was enhanced if the second dose of Covishield was administered between six and eight weeks but not later than that”.

“We are dealing with a dynamic situation… data is reviewed periodically,” V K Paul, member (health), Niti Ayog, told reporters here.

Besides Arora, the Director of INCLEN Trust, Rakesh Agarwal of GIPMER Puducherry, Gagandeep Kang of CMC Vellore, Naveen Khanna of ICGEB, Amulya Panda of National Institute of Immunology, J P Mulliyal retired professor of CMC Vellore, and V G Somani Drug Controller General of India are members of the Covid Working Group.

Paul said that the issue of increasing the gap in two doses of Covishield vaccine was deliberated by scientists at the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation, the Covid Working Group, as well as the National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration for Covid-19.

Some scientists also cited the increase in breakthrough infections as a reason to put off the second dose of Covishield, Paul said.

Paul said the extension had been recommended “after careful study and without pressure from anyone” and data from the World Health Organization was also analysed.