No mix and match of Covid vaccines for booster jabs: Govt

NEW DELHI: The Union government on Wednesday announced that it will not mix covid vaccines when administering booster doses which begin on January 10 for the most vulnerable population groups.

“Precautionary Covid-19 vaccine dose will be the same vaccine as has been given previously,” said VK Paul, member-health, NITI Aayog, in a press briefing by the Union health ministry on Covid19 status and health system preparedness in the country. “Those who’ve received Covaxin will receive Covaxin, those who’ve received primary two doses of Covishield will receive Covishield,” declared Paul.

He, however, added that as the programme progresses and more data is available, there can be a review later. 

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On December 25, Prime Minister Narendra had announced that a “precautionary dose”, or a booster shot, would be administered to healthcare and frontline workers and those over 60 years with co-morbidities from January 10.

In guidelines issued a day later, the ministry had said that everyone qualifying for the booster jab, however, will need to have completed 9 months since the second dose of vaccination

However, the government had not clarified if it would allow administering mixing vaccine doses.

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Last week, ICMR director general Balram Bhargava had said a series of meetings had been happening to deliberate on the issue and to examine the locally available data before a final decision on booster jabs is taken.

Senior members of the Covid working group of the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunization have been discussing, among other things, the number of people eligible for the third Covid jabs, options of vaccines available, new vaccines and whether it will be the same or different vaccines, he had said.