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

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 categoriesThe 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 ldquoNow 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 14day quarantine upon arrivalrdquo 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 Indias 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 31Also Read Travelling abroad for work education Can take Covishield second dose in 28 days CentreInitially 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 84day interval between the two doses of Covishield This is why many from the city were still waiting to get the jabs through the special walkins 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 AugustMumbai Grahak Panchayat has been pursuing the issue since the beginning Its chairman Shirish Deshpande said ldquoThe 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 nowrdquoShubhada Chaukar a parent and a member of the consumer body said ldquoNew SOPs by the central government are really a relief for outgoing students and their parentsrdquolsquoSimilar flexibility in other countries toorsquoDr Anant Bhan researcher bioethics and global health said ldquoWhat 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 circumstancesrdquoAbout the efficacy of the vaccine taken with a shorter duration Dr Bhan said ldquoSuch flexibility is seen in other countries toordquo He cited the changes in the duration between two doses of vaccine given in London ldquoThey 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 currentlyrdquo 84 daysGap between 2 doses of Covishield for others