Mumbai: Students thrilled as vaccine dose gap cut to 28 days

Students had anxious moments fearing the long gap between the two doses of Covishield might derail their travel plans

The Centre has reduced the gap between two doses of Covishield to 28 days for students going abroad for higher education. The special arrangement has also been extended to two other categories.

The decision comes as a huge relief for the students who so far lived under a cloud of uncertainty as the usual time frame of 84 days was too long and could derail their travel plans.

"Now I can take a vaccine shot. Even as the vaccination drive had opened for students, I was skeptical of registering as I had to leave for the USA on August 14 so that I could be on university campus on time after completing the mandatory 14-day quarantine upon arrival," shared Ashwin Kamat, a student from Kandivali.

The Centre has granted the concession to students going abroad for higher studies, people flying to other nations for employment opportunities and India's contingent for Tokyo Olympics. It wants CoWIN certificates to be linked to the passports of such travellers. The government has issued SOPs to ensure the relief is extended only to genuine cases.

This facility shall be available to those who need to undertake international travel for these specified purposes up to August 31.

Also Read: Travelling abroad for work, education? Can take Covishield second dose in 28 days: Centre

Initially, the unavailability of vaccines for younger age groups was an issue for Indian students going abroad for higher education where countries demanded vaccination. The concern then moved to the 84-day interval between the two doses of Covishield. This is why many from the city were still waiting to get the jabs through the special walk-ins allowed by the BMC, as they were still confused if they would be able to take the second dose before heading to their destination country in August.

Mumbai Grahak Panchayat has been pursuing the issue since the beginning. Its chairman Shirish Deshpande said, "The technical issue of the interval between the two doses was a major concern for many as students had to leave India before August end to begin academic on time and vaccination drive for the age group of students began only now."

Shubhada Chaukar, a parent and a member of the consumer body, said, "New SOPs by the central government are really a relief for outgoing students and their parents."

‘Similar flexibility in other countries too'

Dr Anant Bhan, researcher, bioethics and global health, said, "What we do know currently is that two doses are better than one and longer intervals are more effective. But it is also important to note that vaccine strategies are subject to changes as we learn from new data findings. In time we will also know if booster shots are needed or not. The new SOPs by the Central government are special circumstances."

About the efficacy of the vaccine taken with a shorter duration, Dr. Bhan said, "Such flexibility is seen in other countries too." He cited the changes in the duration between two doses of vaccine given in London. "They should still be protected but whether it will really impact the efficacy is for more study on it to tell. It is rather a good thing for outgoing individuals who are facing issues currently."

84 days
Gap between 2 doses of Covishield for others