Indians Can Now Take Covid-19 Booster Dose After 6 Months, Instead Of 9 Months

The Union health ministry has cut down the gap for COVID 19 booster dose from existing nine months to six months for all adults in India.

The recommending body

The decision is based on a recommendation by the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunization.

The NTAGI is India’s top advisory body which provides guidance to the government on vaccination by undertaking technical reviews of scientific evidence on matters related to immunization policy and programmes.

The recommendation

It recommended revising the duration between second dose and the precaution dose from the existing gap of nine months or 39 weeks to six months or 26 weeks.

The recommendation has been made in view of evolving scientific evidence and global practices.

Adults between 18-59

Therefore, it has now been decided that the precaution dose for adults between 18-59 years will be administered after the completion of six months or 26 weeks from the date of administration of the second dose.

For those aged 18-59, the precaution dose is available only at private vaccination centres.

Priority groups

For those 60 years and above, Health Care Workers and Front Line Workers, the precaution dose would be administered after completing six months or 26 weeks from the date of the second dose.

Precaution dose is available free of cost at government vaccination centres to these priority groups.

Changes have been made in the COWIN system to facilitate the revised timeline for vaccination.

The count so far

So far India has administered 4.75 crore precaution doses.

In the priority groups, 57.75 lakh health care workers, 1.05 crore frontline workers and 2.50 crore elderly population above the age of 60 years have been vaccinated.

The third precaution dose for health care workers, frontline workers, and citizens above 60 years with comorbidities was rolled out on January 10.

On April 10 it was rolled out for the 18 plus population.

Relaxed norms for travelers

So far only 33.99 lakh beneficiaries in the 18-44 age group and 27.76 lakh beneficiaries in the 45-59 age group have received their precaution doses.

On May 12, the Union Health Ministry relaxed vaccination norms for the third precautionary dose, allowing citizens and students travelling abroad to take the third booster dose as per the travel guidelines of the destination country.