Booster dose gap reduced to 6 months for those who travel abroad

By our Special Correspondent

The government has now reduced the gap between second Covid-19 vaccine jab and booster dose to a minimum of 90 days (three months) for those travelling abroad; news agency PTI reported quoting official sources on Wednesday. Currently, the gap between the second Covid jab and precaution dose, as it is called, is nine months. An official announcement, however, is yet to be made by the Union Health Ministry.

The decision to relax the norms about the precaution dose for overseas travelers was based on recommendations by the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunization (NTAGI), sources informed.

The decision was also taken as many experts and pharma companies had approached the Centre to reduce the mandatory waiting period of nine months between the second and the booster doses. Among those who had requested the government for this move was Serum Institute of India chief executive Adar Poonawalla. Studies by the Indian Council of Medical Research and other international institutes have also suggested that the antibody level wanes after six months from the primary vaccination.