INDORE: Over 550 people have taken their second dose of Covishield after a gap of 28 days under new policy as they will go to foreign countries for either education or work.
All those people have completed second dose in last 25 days at MY Hospital.
Immunisation in-charge Dr Tarun Gupta said, “Around 550 people have received second dose of Covishield under the new relaxed policy within a gap of 28 days as they have to go foreign countries.”
They were administered second doses after verifying documents. Most of them were students or professionals, added Dr Gupta.
The state government revised policy reducing the gap between two doses from 84 days to 28 days for those requiring to go outside the country for study, job, and participation in the Olympics based on the document verification.
The district following this order began inoculation of such people within 28 days from June 21 at MY hospital.
At the moment, based on the recommendations by the national expert group on vaccine administration for Covid-19 (NÉGVAC), the schedule of Covishield vaccine under the national Covid-19 vaccination strategy is to administer the second dose at 12-16 weeks interval, after administration of first dose.
But, relaxation was made following multiple representations to Union government by students, working professionals requiring to visit the outside the country due to this.
The gap between administration of the second dose of Covishield kept on increasing since beginning of mass drive based on recommendation of the expert group. When the drive began on January 16, it was fixed at 28 days.
In March, the gap was extended to 45 days and later by May-June it was extended to 84 days. The gap between two doses of Covaxin remained fixed at 28 days while for Sputnik it is 20 days- which is in very limited use available at only private health facilities across the country.
