Coronavirus | CoWIN updated to reflect longer interval for Covishield doses

Appointments already booked for the second dose should be honoured, says Health Ministry

The Ministry clarified that the requisite changes had now been carried out in the CoWIN portal. File Photo.

The CoWIN digital portal has been reconfigured to reflect the change in the dose interval for the Covishield vaccine to 12-16 weeks. Appointments for the second dose of Covishield have to be in alignment with the enhanced duration between the two doses. However, appointments already booked online for the second dose will remain valid.

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“The COVID Working Group chaired by Dr. N. K. Arora had recommended extension of the gap between the first and second doses of Covishield vaccine to 12-16 weeks. This has been accepted by the Government of India on May 13 ,” said a Health Ministry release, adding that this had been communicated to the States and Union Territories.

The Ministry clarified that the requisite changes had now been carried out in the CoWIN portal. “As a result, further online or on-site appointments will not be possible if the period after the first dose date for a beneficiary is less than 84 days,” the Ministry said.

“Further, the beneficiaries are advised to reschedule their appointments for a later date beyond the 84th day from the date of first dose vaccination,” said the release.

The Ministry noted that there had been reports in a section of the media suggesting that people who had pre-booked their appointment for the second dose of Covishield in less than 84 days on CoWIN were being turned away from vaccination centres.

The Centre has reiterated to States and Union Territories that the online appointments booked for the second dose of Covishield prior to the change of the interval should be honoured and that field staff should be given necessary instructions in this regard. Such beneficiaries must not be turned away, said the Ministry.