People asked not to visit vaccination centres before 12 weeks of Covishield jab in Karnataka

BENGALURU: The Karnataka government on Friday asked those who took the Covishield vaccine not to come to vaccination centres if they have not completed 12 weeks of the first dose, citing advisory of expert groups.

In a press release, the vaccination mission director said the second dose of Covishield vaccine should be administered to eligible beneficiaries at 12 to 16 weeks interval after receiving first dose as recommended by the National Technical Advisory Group of Immunization (NTAGI) and National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration (NEGVAC).

"Hence, the earlier interval of six to eight weeks of time for Covishield vaccination between 2 doses is revised to 12 to 16 weeks. Citizens are requested not to come to vaccination centres if they have not completed 12 weeks after the first dose of Covishield vaccine," the release said.

The release clarified that the revised time interval between two doses is applicable only to Covishield and not Covaxin.

The State government recently suspended the vaccination of people between the age group of 18 and 44 due to inadequate stock of vaccine in the state.

The government has already placed an order for three crore vaccines and paid money to the vaccine producers.

However, only seven lakh vaccines have arrived, according to officials.

The government intends to float global tenders to procure two crore vaccines.