India will revisit the dosage interval for Covishield vaccine and take appropriate action based on emerging data, said NK Arora, chairperson of the working group of immunisation advisory body NTAGI

More than 34.63 lakh COVID-19 vaccine doses were administered in India on June 16, the Union Health Ministry’s latest provisional report suggested. With that, the cumulative number of COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in the country reached 26.55 crore.
On the 152nd day of the vaccination drive on June 16, 30.96 lakh beneficiaries received their first shot and 3.67 lakh people were given their second dose.
The government has revised the gap between the two doses for the Oxford-AstraZeneca’s Covishield, being manufactured by the Serum Institute of India, to 12-16 weeks. However, the interval for the second dose of Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin remains unchanged.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the nationwide vaccination drive on January 16, with healthcare workers at the frontline of India’s COVID-19 battle getting their first jabs. The country began the second phase of the vaccination drive from March 1 in which everyone above 60 years of age and those over 45 years with comorbidities could start getting the vaccine.
From April 1, vaccination was opened for everyone above the age of 45 with or without comorbidities.
India rolled out the third phase of its COVID-19 vaccination drive for those in the 18-44 age group on May 1. The central government has liberalised the vaccination drive to allow states, private hospitals, and industrial establishments to procure the doses directly from manufacturers.
Registration on CoWIN platform for the third phase began on April 28 and is mandatory for the 18-44 age group.
Here are key developments related to the COVID-19 vaccination process:
> With Delhi receiving fresh stock of COVID-19 vaccines from the Centre, people in the 18-44 age group can now book their slot on the CoWIN app for inoculation at government-run facilities, AAP MLA Atishi said on June 16.
> The government has allowed setting up of ‘near home’ vaccination centres for elderly and differently-abled people for simplifying the process of inoculation for them. In a statement, Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Rattan Lal Kataria highlighted various steps taken by the government to assist the senior citizens during the pandemic.
> More than two crore vaccine doses have been administered in Rajasthan so far as part of the inoculation campaign against COVID-19, Rajasthan Health Minister Raghu Sharma said on the day. He said that a capacity to administer about seven lakh doses per day has been developed in the state.
> India will revisit the dosage interval for Covishield vaccine and take appropriate action based on emerging data, NK Arora, chairperson of the working group of immunisation advisory body NTAGI, said.
> Renganar, a remote village in Chhattisgarh’s tribal-dominated Dantewada district, has become the first village in the state where all eligible people have been administered the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine, officials said on the day. The village has set an example in the fight against the pandemic. It became possible due to constant efforts of healthcare personnel and awareness teams, a public relations department official in Raipur said.
> The Congress said on the day that party chief Sonia Gandhi has taken both doses of COVID-19 vaccine while Rahul Gandhi could not take the jabs yet as he had contracted the virus in May. A senior party functionary said Rahul Gandhi was scheduled to take the vaccine on May 16, but he tested positive for the coronavirus a day before.
Here’s the vaccination count for some states:

(With inputs from PTI)
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