"Increasing Covishield Dose Gap Beneficial": Central Panel Member To NDTV

The government said the gap between two shots of Covishield should be 12 to 16 weeks. It had been four to six weeks to start with, and had been widened to six to eight weeks.

Increasing the gap between Covishield doses was a decision based on science, not vaccine shortage, says a member of the group that recommended the big change. The government has launched a detailed study to compare the benefits of increasing the dose gap, said NK Arora, chairman of the Covid working group. Yesterday, the government said the gap between two shots of Covishield should be 12 to 16 weeks. It had been four to six weeks to start with, and had been widened to six to eight weeks. Dr Arora, who is a member of the National Techincal Advisory Group on Immunization, rejected speculation that the decision was spurred by vaccine shortage that has halted inoculations of those between 18 and 44 in parts of the country. "If I increase the gap by one month, then what difference will it make? It will make a difference of about four to six crore doses. So giving the second dose after a month is hardly going to address vaccine shortage. Increasing the gap is beneficial," he told NDTV in an exclusive interview.