As many wait to get their second shot of the COVID-19 vaccine, experts have said that people do not need to restart their vaccination schedule if the gap between two jabs is stretched over four to six weeks, which is the recommended interval period. 

Recipients of the vaccine should not worry if the second dose is delayed, said Dr NK Arora, who is a member of the National Committee on Adverse Events Following Immunisation. The Times of India quoted him as saying, “We know there are many single-dosers whose second shots have been delayed. They need not be worried.”

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“They need not be worried. Even if gap between two doses increases to 8-10 weeks, in case of any of the two vaccines, beneficiaries can take the second shot and it will still be effective. There is no need to repeat the vaccine schedule due to a delayed second dose,” Dr NK Arora said, TOI quoted. 

Dr Vineeta Bal of the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Pune said that recipients should not panic as the first shot of vaccine already triggers an immune response, and that does not disappear due to delay in the second dose, the TOI report quoted. However, she added that the first dose is not enough and the second dose is necessary. 

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“A booster (second) dose essentially increases the quality and quantity of the first dose response,” Dr Vineeta Bal said, quoted TOI. 

Bal said that the duration between two doses of the Covishield vaccine has been increased from 4 weeks to 12, based on data from international trials. Meanwhile, she added that there is no data available for the duration between two shots for Covaxin.