COVID-19: Same vaccine to be administered as precautionary dose, confirms Govt

The Centre on Wednesday confirmed that there will be no mix-and-match for COVID-19 precautionary dose administered to healthcare workers and senior citizens with co-morbidities.

This means that those who took Covishield will take Covishield again and those who were given the Covaxin jab, will get a third dose of Covaxin. 

Dr V K Paul,  Member-Health, NITI Aayog, said that there was no mixing of COVID-19 vaccines yet.

India has predominantly administered Pune-based Serum Institute of India's (SII) locally produced AstraZeneca-Oxford COVID-19 vaccine called 'Covishield' and its first indigenously manufactured vaccine Covaxin. The latter vaccine is produced by Hyderabad-based firm Bharat Biotech. 

On December 25, Prime Minister Narendra Modi made the announcement for a “precaution dose" for healthcare and frontline workers as well as co-morbid seniors. The Prime Minister did not call it a “booster dose" as the third dose is termed worldwide.

People aged 60 years and above with co-morbidity will not be required to produce or submit any certificate from a doctor at the time of administration of precaution dose of COVID-19 vaccine, the Centre had told states and union territories. Such persons are expected to obtain the advice of their doctor before deciding to avail of the precaution dose or third dose.

Along with that, the PM had also announced COVID-19 vaccination for kids aged 15-18 years of age from 3 January. The vaccine currently being administered to them are Covaxin only. 

Meanwhile, India on Wednesday crossed the milestone of administering over 1 crore doses of COVID-19 vaccines to those in the 15-18 age group. The vaccination campaign for this age group commenced on Monday.
 
Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya took to Twitter to share the news and appealed those in this age group to get vaccinated at the earliest.