Now people jabbed abroad can take remaining Covid vaccine doses in India: Government

PRAYAGRAJ: Now any individual – Indian or foreign national – who has received the first or second Covid-19 vaccine dose outside India is eligible to receive the remaining dose(s) in the country, as per the recommendations of the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (NTAGI).
Dr Manohar Agnani, additional secretary in the ministry of health and family welfare, has sent a letter to the chief secretaries/principal secretaries and secretaries (health) of all the states and Union territories, directing them to take all necessary measures for smooth implementation of the plan.
TOI had on August 18 carried a report highlighting the plight of such individuals who had been jabbed abroad but were finding it difficult to receive the booster doses in India as the country’s CoWIN portal was not linked with any foreign vaccine portal. As a result, the health officials were not able to link it with the vaccinator module.
Now, necessary changes are being made on the CoWIN portal.
Dr Utsav Singh, nodal officer (vaccination) at MLN Medical College, confirmed the development to TOI and said: “The ministry of health had received several requests for Covid vaccination of individuals who had received vaccine doses outside India and were willing to receive the remaining second or booster dose in India.”
“Once the necessary changes are made, such individuals may be provided with the second dose or precaution dose of any of the domestically available Covid-19 vaccine in the country,” Dr Singh said.
There were over 150 such recipients in Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj district alone who had returned from countries in Middle East, Europe and South Asia, and were unable to get their booster dose.