New Delhi: A new study has revealed that administering two doses of anti-Covid vaccine Covishield 12 weeks apart is more effective than the 28 days’ interval between the shots as is followed now.

The study published in medical journal 'The Lancet' found the vaccine, when administered 28 weeks apart, showed an efficacy rate of 81.3%.

It also found that two doses of the vaccine administered 12 weeks apart developed more antibody response in those aged under 55. Though the first dose itself builds up antibody, it increases after the second dose.

The study demonstrated that the doses administered six weeks apart had an efficacy rate of only 55.1%.

A team of experts from Hong Kong University, Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong and Mayo Vaccine Research Group conducted the study.

Covishield, developed by AstraZeneca in partnership with the Oxford University, is being manufactured in the country by the Serum Institute of India, Pune. The viral vector vaccine is meant to boost the immune system by introducing SARS-Cov-2 genetic material to the cells through harmless vectors.

Daily vaccination numbers

New Delhi: India has posted a record increase in administering anti-Covid vaccine with 20.19 lakh people receiving the shot on a single day.

So far, about 2.5 crore people have received the first dose of the vaccine in the country. However, India has been lagging behind others in administrating the vaccine proportionally to its population.

As many as 11,675 people out of 10 lakh have been administered the vaccine on an average daily in India, while it is 2.32 lakh in the US, 3.14 lakh in the UK, 71,600 lakh in France and 76,400 lakh in Germany, according to the Union health ministry.

India’s COVID-19 vaccination programme has been touted as the largest in the world. About 30 crore people are expected to be vaccinated in different phases up to July.

India started the vaccination programme on January 16, 2021. Two COVID-19 vaccines – Covishield and Covaxin – have been cleared for emergency use in the country.

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