Administering second dose of vaccine to begin tomorrow

The State will start the second dose vaccination of healthcare workers from Monday. A decision to this effect was taken at a meeting with officials from the Centre. This is despite a WHO panel suggesting an interval of 8-12 weeks between doses. COVID-19 experts in the State have also suggested that giving the second dose after eight weeks not only offers higher efficacy but will also give ample time to plan and cover more people. However, the State cannot take a call on its own and has to follow the Centre’s guidelines that say the second dose should be given 28 days after the first.