The government’s panel on immunisation on Thursday recommended that vaccination for those testing positive for COVID-19 should be deferred for six months, PTI reported quoting sources. The National Immunisation Technical Advisory Group (NTAGI) has also recommended that the gap between the first and the second dose of the Covishield vaccine should be increased to 12-16 weeks.

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Covishield is AstraZeneca/Oxford University’s COVID jab. The earlier gap between the two doses was 28 days. In March, the Centre wrote to the states and union territories (UTs) that results would be better if the second dose is administered 6 to 8 weeks after the first. 

This comes amid an acute shortage of COVID vaccines in the country, which has prompted several states to stop inoculating those in the age group of 18 to 45-year-old. This has been done so that those already given their first dose can be administered the second dose.

The gap between the first and the second dose of Covaxin, however, remains the same, i.e. 4 to 6 weeks. Covaxin is India’s indigenous jab and is the other vaccine currently being given in the country.

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The NTAGI has also recommended that pregnant women should be offered a choice between the two vaccines. Also, the lactating mothers should be eligible to get the jab any time after delivery.

India started its mass immunisation drive against COVID-19 on January 16. As many as 177,214,256 people have received at least one of the two vaccine doses, as per Health Ministry’s latest count.