For Covishield, NTAGI recommends a shorter period between the first and second dose

The National Technical Advisory Group on Immunization (NTAGI) recommends giving the second dose of Covishield 8 to 16 weeks following the first dose. The second dose is currently administered 12-16 weeks following the first.

A senior health official confirmed the advice, saying that the move to shorten the period between the two doses will result in the faster administration of the second dose of Covishield to the remaining six to seven crore people.

“The NTAGI’s most recent suggestion is based on the most recent global scientific evidence gathered from programmed data.” “The antibody response obtained when the second dosage of Covishield is given eight weeks onwards is practically same when delivered at an interval of 12 to 16 weeks,” he added.

Based on NTAGI’s recommendations, the Central Government extended the time between the first and second doses of the Covishield vaccination from six to eight weeks to 12-16 weeks on May 13, 2021.

“This is a recommendation from NTAGI, and the Government must make the ultimate decision,” an official noted.

The advisory board has not recommended any changes to the timetable for Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin, which includes a 28-day interval between doses.

Covishield vaccine

Covishield is a chimpanzee adenovirus vector encoding the SARS-CoV-2 Spike (S) glycoprotein that is recombinant and replication-deficient. Following administration, the coronavirus part’s genetic material is expressed, triggering an immunological response. It consists of two 0.5 ml dosages, with no change between the first and second doses. The amount of virus particles in each dose is the same.

Dr. Rajeev Jayadevan, vice chairman, Research Cell, Indian Medical Association, Kerala, said the short answer is no to a question concerning the much-debated benefit of a fourth dose after a booster.

“Studies have shown that simply increasing the number of systemic vaccine doses will not prevent COVID re-infections. It is self-evident that infection can develop if enough aerosol exposure occurs, independent of the number of doses taken. This danger can be reduced by wearing a mask, especially indoors. There is currently no viable mucosal vaccination available. That is also why fundamental public health measures remain critical,” he added.

Meanwhile, according to Health Ministry data, India recorded 1,761 new coronavirus infections on Sunday, the lowest in around 688 days, bringing the country’s total to 4,30,07,841, while active cases fell to 26,240. According to data updated at 8 a.m., the death toll had risen to 5,16,479, with 127 new fatalities. “Active cases account for 0.06 percent of all infections. The nationwide COVID-19 recovery rate was 98.74 percent,” according to the press release. 

In the last 24 hours, 1,562 cases have been removed from the active COVID-19 backlog, according to the report. The weekly positivity rate was 0.41 percent, and the daily positivity rate was 0.41 percent. A total of 4,31,973 COVID-19 tests were performed in the last 24 hours. Over 78.26 crore tests have been conducted in India so far. The number of persons who have recovered has increased to 4,24,65,122, with a case fatality rate of 1.20 percent, according to the report. 

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