For people above 18, the health ministry has reduced the gap of 9 to 6 months for the precautionary dose of COVID

New Delhi: The Union Health Ministry has reduced the interval between the second dose of Kovid and the time given as a precaution to six months from the previous nine months.

The National Technical Advisory Group on Immunization (NTAGI) took the decision in view of “evolving scientific evidence and global practices”.

For people between the ages of 18 and 59, the precautionary dose will be given six months or 26 weeks after the second dose.

It will apply to people over 60 – as well as health care and frontline workers – who will receive it for free at government immunization centres.

India on Wednesday recorded 16,159 new Covid cases, 15,394 recoveries and 28 deaths in the last 24 hours.

Health ministry data shows active cases now stand at 1,15,212.

Maharashtra leads the country’s Covid figures with 3,098 cases and six deaths reported on Tuesday. Although the infection rate has come down in Mumbai, other districts like Thane and Raigad have seen a spurt.

Delhi recorded 615 new cases with a positivity rate of 3.89 per cent. There were three deaths on Tuesday.


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