3rd Covid shot after 3 months, not 6, says ministry

Those who contract the disease should get it as soon as they have fully recovered, it said further in guidelines issued on Friday.

An earlier guideline on Dec. 1 had said the third shot should be taken six months after the second and recovered patients need to wait for six months after recovery.

The ministry said the changes are based on recommendations from the World Health Organization’s Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization, which said this month that the “booster shot should be administered two to six months after the primary vaccination.”

The ministry has approved the administration of the booster shot from December for high-risk groups like people with underlying conditions or aged 50 and above and frontline health staff.

All adults would get it by mid-2022, it has said.

Around 75.5 million of the country’s 96 million people have received at least one vaccine shot and 60.1 million have got two.

Authorities started administering the third dose over a week ago.