Mumbai: Reduce gap between Covid-19 vaccination doses, urge college students

A student gets jabbed at a special vaccination camp at Smt MMK College at Bandra West. File pic

College students are demanding that the gap between two doses of Covishield vaccine be reduced for them, to enable them to attend in-person classes sooner. With the special vaccination drives on campuses, many have received their first dose, but those who got Covishield now have to wait for 84 days for the second one, without which they will not be able to attend campus activities.

The state government allowed reopening of colleges across Maharashtra last month with a mandate that all students attending offline classes will have to be fully vaccinated. More than 32,000 students have so far gotten their first dose under the special vaccination drive in Mumbai.

"It is good to have gotten one jab at my college itself. But now I have to wait for 84 days for the second jab to actually begin attending college," said one student. Another student said, "I got Covaxin so the gap between the doses is less. But I have friends who have taken Covishield and have to wait longer for the second jab."

Rohit Dhale from Chhatra Bharati, a students' organisation which has raised the issue, said, "The gap of 84 days between two doses of Covishield was reduced for students going abroad for higher education so that they don't face any academic loss. Then why not do something similar for students here as well? Eighty-four days is a long time, and students will end up missing almost an entire semester even as colleges have reopened."