The federal government Tuesday said that mixing of Covid-19 vaccines is just not the protocol but and insisted that there is no such thing as a change within the schedule of two-dose vaccines Covishield and Covaxin. It additionally mentioned that Customary Working Process (SOP) of administering the doses of the identical vaccine ought to be adopted.
Whereas addressing a press briefing, NITI Aayog (Well being) member Dr V Ok Paul introduced two situations on the blending of Covid vaccines. “On the one hand, it is likely to be attainable that mixing of vaccines can result in dangerous reactions… On the opposite, science additionally signifies that mixing of vaccines may very well be helpful and result in a rise in immunity however a extreme response and hurt can’t be dominated out and due to this fact there may be analysis occurring in different international locations,” he mentioned.
#WATCH | No change within the schedule of Covishield doses; it will likely be two doses solely. After the primary Covishield dose is run, second dose might be given after 12 weeks. Covaxin additionally has two doses’ schedule, second dose to be administered in 4-6 weeks: Dr. VK Paul, NITI Aayog pic.twitter.com/Y575jws6u7
— ANI (@ANI) June 1, 2021
Earlier, The Indian Specific had reported that authorities might start “in a number of weeks” testing the feasibility of a routine that mixes two completely different vaccines to see if it helps enhance immune response to the virus.
“This can be a scientific matter and until the time it doesn’t get sorted, we’ll say it’s an unresolved scientific query over which there is no such thing as a change in our programme,” he mentioned. “It’s science’s curiosity that might be settled by science and we’ll give the wanted inputs within the course of. Until then, there is no such thing as a mixing of vaccines… our schedule could be very clear. Please keep on with the SOP that doses of the identical vaccine are to be given. If a change is to be made, we’ll share it from the identical platform.”
Paul additional mentioned Covishield and Covaxin schedule in India is of two doses.
“First dose (of Covishield) after which, after 12 weeks, the second dose. There’s completely no change. Covaxin additionally has a two-dose schedule. First dose after which second dose after 4-6 weeks. This schedule is being adopted to take our vaccination schedule ahead and no confusion have to be created on this,” he mentioned.
ICMR Director Basic Balram Bhargava, in the meantime, mentioned: “There is no such thing as a scarcity of vaccines. By mid-July or August, we can have sufficient doses to vaccinate 1 crore folks per day.”
Lav Agarwal, Joint Secretary, Union Well being Ministry, mentioned, “Lively circumstances are down by 50%, there’s a 1.three lakh lower in lively circumstances in a day. In 30 states/UTs, circumstances have been persistently declining for one week. This can be a optimistic development.”
He added, “A complete of 1,27,000 circumstances have been reported within the final 24 hours. Since Might 28, the nation is reporting lower than 2 lakh circumstances. There’s a decline of an infection within the nation.”
The Centre additionally mentioned that the case positivity fee is now lower than 5 per cent in 344 districts throughout the nation.
(With inputs from PTI and ANI)