E-Paper
CoWin doesn’t auto-schedule appointment for Covid vaccine second dose now, can do it yourself
The move comes following “scientific evidence” that that protection is enhanced if the second dose of Covishield is administered between six to eight weeks.
The CoWin portal, where people can register for getting vaccines against the coronavirus disease (Covid-19), does not now schedule an appointment for the second dose of shot, RS Sharma, chairman of the Empowered Group on Covid vaccination, told news agency ANI on Thursday.
“You should schedule it yourself as per the recommended gap between the two doses of the vaccine,” he said four days after the central government told states and Union territories that the two doses of Covishield vaccine must be administered in a gap of four to eight weeks, instead of the earlier prescribed interval of four to six weeks.
Follow latest updates on Covid-19 here
The move comes following “scientific evidence” that that protection is enhanced if the second dose of Covishield is administered between six to eight weeks, the Union ministry of health and family welfare said.
The new interval applies only to the Covishield, the India version of the Oxford-AstraZeneca AZD1222 vaccine, and not Covaxin, the other shot which has been indigenously developed by Hyderabad base-pharma firm Bharat Biotech.
'CoWin' has been accorded by the government as the backbone of India’s immunisation drive.
The CoWin portal is available on the Aarogya Setu app on which they need to choose the vaccination option and login. They can then schedule the an appointment to get a dose of the vaccine. People need to carry a photo ID to the centre they have applied for the appointment.
The government has now allowed all citizens above 45 years of age to get a vaccine against the Covid-19. They can avail the shots from April 1 onwards, without having to show the comorbidities certificate.
So far 5.21 crore vaccines have been administered in India.
India has decided to not expand vaccine exports for now and first meet domestic needs following a massive spike in coronavirus cases, people familiar with the development told HT. There will be no ban on exports, though supplies to other countries will be made only after meeting domestic needs, they said.
