Hyderabad: The Telangana government has decided to extend the gap for the second dose of the Covishield vaccine to 14-16 weeks after taking the first dose.
Originally designed to be administered at a gap of 8-12 weeks, the duration between two Covishield has been increased by a lot of authorities following researches showing better antibody response with longer gaps.
The note by Director of the Public Health and Family Welfare under Telangana government also stated that in the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) region, 100 government-run Covid vaccination centres will operate for first dose for 18 years and above age group.
According to a report by The News Minute, while the government’s official stand is that it wishes to prioritise the first dose of vaccines, reports suggest that the move may have been prompted due to a shortage of doses in the state, due to lack of supply from the Union government.
The note by the Director of the Public Health and Family Welfare under the Telangana government also stated that in the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) region, 100 government-run Covid vaccination centres will operate for the first dose for 18 years and above age group.
In jurisdictions of all other urban bodies, 204 government Covid vaccination centres will operate to administer the first dose to people in this age group. For getting vaccinated at either category of inoculation centres, beneficiaries will have to register themselves on the CoWIN portal in advance.
The first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine will be given to beneficiaries aged 18 years or above at all 636 primary health centres in rural regions of Telangana, the note further read. This vaccination drive will be conducted in walk-in mode and will not require CoWIN registration.
Telangana recorded 917 COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, taking the total number of cases in the state to 6,23,510. Among the 6,23,510 cases, 79.9% are asymptomatic. Ten deaths were also recorded, taking the COVID-19 death toll to 3,661.