Hyderabad: Telangana health minister T Harish Rao has requested the union minister of health Mansukh Mandaviya to reduce the time between the second and precautionary (booster) doses from nine months to six months.
“Data from Covid infections and hospitalizations have proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that immunizations are very efficient in reducing severe morbidity, hospitalisation, and fatality. Based on the experience of booster dosage policies in countries such as the United States of America and the United Kingdom, it is suggested that the period between the second and precautionary doses be reduced from 9 months to 6 months,” Harish Rao stated in a letter to Mansukh Mandaviya.
He has also asked the union minister to look into the possibility of reducing the period between the second and precautionary doses for all health care employees to three months. He also requested that all citizens above the age of 60 be included in the precautionary dose, regardless of comorbidities, and that a booster dose is considered for all people over the age of 18.
“With this, we will be able to safeguard the people from the severe morbidity and death linked with the COVID-19 virus,” the Telangana minister stated.
Earlier, Andhra Pradesh chief minister Y.S Jagan Mohan Reddy announced on January 17 that he will write to the Centre to decrease the nine-month interval for preventive dosages to six months.
Earlier, Harish Rao had requested the Union government to reduce the gap between two Covishield doses from six to four weeks
“The current guidelines ask for a 12-week interval between two doses of Covishield vaccination. Because the interval between the two dosages is so long, giving the second dose might be challenging. This challenge is amplified in the case of inter-state and intra-state migratory workers, as well as those from high-risk categories, who regularly migrate away from the places where they received the initial dosage,” he had stated.
Follow on Twitter | Posted by Sumaya Junaid Ahmed | 
