E-Paper
Tope: Second dose of vaccine to be given 45 days after first
Following directives from the centre, state health minister Rajesh Tope said on Monday, in Pune, that the second dose of the Covishield vaccine is to be given 45 days after the first
Following directives from the centre, state health minister Rajesh Tope said on Monday, in Pune, that the second dose of the Covishield vaccine is to be given 45 days after the first.
“Whereas the Covaxin second dose will be given 28 days of the first dose,” the minister said.
The central government, on Monday, wrote a letter to chief secretaries of states and administrators of union territories, asking them to increase the interval between the two doses of Covishield, one of the two Covid-19 vaccines being given across the country as part of nationwide inoculation drive.
Earlier this week, state Covid expert Subhash Salunke had written to centre to increase the interval after he tested positive after taking the second dose of the vaccine.
Tope said that till Monday, everything was the same for Covishield and Covaxin, including the interval between the two doses.
“However, the Centre has issued fresh orders after a comprehensive study. Under this, the second dose of Covishield will be given after 45-60 days, instead of 28-45 days. For Covaxin, a second dose will be given after the 28th day,” said Tope, adding,
“In the state, the second dose of Covishield will be given after 45 days.”
Dr Raman Gangakhedkar, former head scientist of the Epidemiology and Communicable Diseases Division at the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), and head of the CG Pandit National Chair of ICMR, said that this step will help inoculate more people as the second wave is hitting the State.
“We are at the beginning of the second wave. And delaying the second dose will help the authorities inoculate more citizens. This will be helpful against the rising cases and will decrease the severity of the disease,” said Dr Gangakhedkar.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has recommended two doses with an interval of eight to 12 weeks. Another report published in the medical journal Lancet, on March 6, 2021, also found strong evidence supporting “a longer-interval immunisation strategy”.
Dr Subhash Salunke (73), advisor to the Maharashtra government on Covid-19 also tested positive on March 15, after taking the second dose of Covishield on February 23. He tested positive three weeks after taking the second dose of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, manufactured in India by Serum Institute of India (SII).
In a letter to the centre earlier, Salunke said, for better efficacy, the second dose needs to be delayed. “This is as if the virus is avoiding antibodies among those vaccinated,” said Salunke.
Earlier in March, two hospital staffers from the Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital tested positive after taking both doses of the vaccine. Both the staffers tested positive 14 days after taking the second jabs.
