Those planning to undertake international travel for employment and education purposes or as part of the Indian contingent to the Tokyo Olympics do not have to wait for the mandated 84 days if their travel dates fall earlier than the scheduled second dose vaccination date.
They can take the second dose prior to 84 days. However according to the standard operating procedures (SOPs) issued by the Union Health Ministry on Monday, even in these cases, the second dose will only be administered after 28 days from the date of the first dose.
The Co-WIN system will soon provide the facility for the administration of the second dose in such exceptional cases, the ministry said.
This has been done following several representations from various sectors for allowing the administration of the second dose of Covishield to such people who have taken the first dose and are seeking to undertake international travel for educational purposes or for employment opportunities or as part of the Indian contingent for the Tokyo Olympic games, but whose planned travel dates fall prior to the completion of the currently-mandated minimum interval of 84 days from the date of the first dose.
The matter has been discussed in the Empowered Group 5 (EG-5) and appropriate recommendations have been received, said a statement from the Ministry.
In this context, with a view to provide full coverage of vaccination and facilitating international travel for such genuine reasons, the ministry has issued the SOPs according to which the states shall designate a competent authority in each district to grant permission for such administration of the second dose of Covishield.
The competent authority shall check whether a period of 28 days has elapsed after the date of the first dose and the genuineness of the purpose of travel, based on documents related to admission offers or the associated formal communications for the purpose of education, the statement added.