Vaccination to be deferred by 3 months after recovering from COVID-19, says Centre
By Team Newsable | First Published May 19, 2021, 5:45 PM ISTIndividuals who have received at least the 1st dose and got Covid-19 infection before completion of the dosing schedule: the 2nd dose should be deferred by 3 months after clinical recovery from Covid-19 illness.
New Delhi: Vaccination for coronavirus can be taken three months after recovery, the Centre said today.
The Government of India on May 19 approved a series of recommendations from the National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration for Covid-19 (NEGVAC) for deferring vaccination in multiple scenarios, including for Covid-19 recovered patients.
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"The government panel's recommendations have been based on the evolving situation of the Covid-19 pandemic and emerging global scientific evidence and experience," the Union health ministry said.
SARS-2 Covid-19 patients who have been given anti-SARS-2 monoclonal antibodies or convalescent plasma: Covid-19 vaccination to be deferred by 3 months from the date of discharge from the hospital.
Individuals who have received at least the 1st dose and got Covid-19 infection before completion of the dosing schedule: the 2nd dose should be deferred by 3 months after clinical recovery from Covid-19 illness.
Persons with any other serious general illness requiring hospitalization or ICU care should also wait for 4-8 weeks before getting the Covid-19 vaccine.
The government also said that an individual can donate blood after 14 days of either receipt of Covid-19 vaccine or testing RT-PCR negative, if suffering from Covid-19 disease.
The expert group has also recommended vaccination for lactating women.
The Covid-19 vaccination panel has further assured that it is safe for lactating women to get their jabs. However, the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunization (NTAGI) is still deliberating on the effects of Covid-19 vaccination on pregnant women.
The changes come less than a week after the government expanded the gap between two doses of Covishield vaccine from six to eight weeks to 12 to 16 weeks. The move had drawn much criticism from the Congress in the backdrop of an acute vaccine shortage.
It was the second time in three months that the interval between Covishield dosage was widened. In March, the government stretched the gap from 28 days to six weeks, saying it pushed up the efficacy of the vaccine.
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