The Government on Thursday dismissed reports that there is any proposal for a change in the dose gap of Covishield, Covaxin and Sputnik V vaccines. However, it said processes are under way to assess the effectiveness of these Covid vaccines.
“Programmatic data collection processes are on to assess vaccine effectiveness. NTAGI reviewing vaccine effectiveness data on a regular basis. Currently, there’s no proposal for change in dose interval Covishield, Covaxin and Sputnik V vaccines under consideration,” NTAGI (National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation in India) chief Dr NK Arora said.
The clarification comes after media reports that the Centre is planning a reduction in the time interval between the two doses of Covishield.
The recommended gap for Covishield was 4-6 weeks at the start of the vaccine drive, it was then increased to 4 to 8 weeks, and finally to 12 to 16 weeks.
The decision to extend the gap to 12 to 16 weeks was met with controversy as it was regarded as an attempt to address the country’s vaccination shortage at the time. Experts, on the other hand, claimed the decision was based on new international scientific studies that showed that a longer gap between dosages produced more antibodies.
However, in June, after India lengthened the interval between the two doses, studies claimed that the effectiveness of the first Covishield shot had been overestimated previously. This was followed by a reduction in the time between the two Covishield dosages in various countries.