Bhubaneswar: As the centre has increased the time interval for second dose of Covidshield to 12-16 weeks from 6-8 weeks, the Odisha government announced that no registration for second will be allowed if the gap is less. This direction will be implemented from May 14 midnight.
The Health and Family Welfare Department has sent a letter to all district Collectors, Municipal Commissioners, Chief District Medical Officers (CDMOs) and Public Health Officers (PHOs) to ensure the same.
As per the instruction of the department, no online or on-site appointment will be allowed for a second dose of Covishield, if the gap period is less than 84 days (12 weeks).
However, appointments already booked online for second dose are not being cancelled by COWIN. Beneficiaries may be advised through suitable IEC that they should reschedule their appointments.
However, If a pre-booked beneficiary chooses to take the second dose of the vaccine even if the time interval is less than 84 days, COWIN system will allow vaccination of such beneficiaries.