Scientists of vaccine advisory group say they didn’t recommend 12-16 week gap in Covishield doses

Three scientists of an advisory group on Covid-19 vaccination in the country have said that they did not back the Centre’s decision last month to double the interval between two doses of the Covishield shot, Reuters reported on Tuesday.

On May 13, the Union health ministry increased the gap between two doses of the vaccine, from the recommended interval of six to eight weeks, to 12-16 weeks. The Centre had said then that the decision was recommended by the the country’s Covid Working Group and was backed by the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation, or NTAGI.

The three scientists, who are part of the 14 “core members” of the NTAGI, have now said that the group did not have enough data to make such a recommendation, according to Reuters.

However, soon after their statements came to light on Tuesday evening, Covid Working Group Chairman NK Arora said the decision was taken on “scientific basis” and without any “dissenting voice”.

We have a very open, transparent system where decisions are taken on scientific basis. The COVID Working Grp took that decision, with no dissenting voice; issue was then discussed threadbare at NTAGI meeting, with no dissenting notes: Dr. N.K. Arora@COVIDNewsByMIB

(10/n)🧵

— PIB in Maharashtra 🇮🇳 (@PIBMumbai) June 15, 2021

MD Gupte, a former director of the state-run National…

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