The National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation has recommended reducing the gap between the first and second dose of Covid vaccine Covishield.
As per the recommendation, the second dose can be administered between eight and 16 weeks after the first dose, official sources said on Sunday.
The decision is expected to lead to accelerated administration of the second dose to the remaining six to seven crore individuals, amid rising Covid cases in several countries, the source said.
"The latest recommendation of NTAGI is based on recent global scientific evidence derived from programmatic data," said an official source. "According to it, when the second dose of Covishield is given eight weeks onwards, the antibody response generated is almost similar when administered at an interval of 12 to 16 weeks," the source explained.
The group has not yet suggested any change in the schedule of Bharat Biotech's Covaxin, the second dose of which is administered 28 days after the first dose.
Meanwhile, the downslide in Covid cases persists. At least, 1,761 fresh Covid cases were recorded nationwide on Sunday, which is the lowest in 688 days.