Covishield second dose can be taken between 8-16 weeks after first dose, says NTAGI

Reducing the dosage interval for Covishield, the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (NTAGI) has said the second dose of the Covid-19 vaccine can now be taken eight to 16 weeks after the first shot.

At present, the second dose of Covishield is administered between 12 to 16 weeks after the first dose under the National Covid-19 Vaccination Strategy.

"The latest recommendation of NTAGI is based on recent global scientific evidence derived from programmatic data," PTI quoted an official source as saying.

Data shows that 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.

The decision will lead to accelerated administration of the second dose of Covishield to the remaining six to seven crore individuals amid rising cases in several countries, the source said.

The Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech’s indigenously developed Covaxin and Oxford-AstraZeneca’s Covishield, being manufactured by the Pune-based SII, are currently being used in India’s inoculation drive against coronavirus.

The new directive comes less than a year after the government panel recommended that the gap between the two doses of the Covishield vaccine be extended to 12-16 weeks. Prior to that, the interval between two doses of Covishield was six to eight weeks.