An experts committee has recommended reducing the gap between the first and the second doses of Covishield vaccine for Covid-19 to 8 to 16 weeks in view of the Omicron spread. At present, the second dose is being administered 12-16 weeks after giving the first dose.
The National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (NTAGI) has recommended to reduce the gap to ramp up administration of the second dose in view of the rising number of cases in some European countries, reported IANS.
NTAGI is the top advisory panel that provides guidance to the Union Health Ministry on the immunisation. It was based on the panel's recommendations that the government had earlier extended the gap between the two doses from 6-8 weeks to 12-16 weeks.
India has been witnessing a downward trend in new Covid-19 cases for the last few weeks with the active case currently standing at 26,240. In the last 24 hours, 1,761 new cases have been recorded with a positivity rate of 0.41 per cent. India's recovery rate stands at 98.74 per cent.
According to the Union health ministry, India’s Covid-19 vaccination coverage has exceeded 181.21 as on Sunday.
