The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) on Thursday announced that the interval between the first and second dose of Covishield has been increased to 12-18 weeks as the first dose develops strong immunity. However, the four-week gap between two doses of Covaxin jab has been kept unchanged as the protection offered by the first vaccination is not as high.
Justifying the Center’s decision of increasing the gap for Covisheild, ICMR chief Dr. Balram Bhargava said that the immunity found after the first shot of the vaccine manufactured by Serum Institute of India was found to be strong.
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“On the other hand, immunity level after the first shot of Covaxin is not as high and this means the second dose should be taken after four weeks to ensure full efficacy,” he said.
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He also said the suggestion that people who contracted and recovered from Covid-19 should wait for three months before taking the first jab of vaccination, was based on an assessment that the recovered people will have antibodies that can last for at least 10 weeks.
