39 Million People Didn’t Get 2nd COVID Vaccine Shot In Stipulated Time, Reveals RTI

Nearly 39 million people in India did not receive their second dose of COVID-19 vaccine within the stipulated time.

This is according to the Union government’s response to a Right to Information (RTI) query filed by activist Raman Sharma, PTI reported.

“The total number of beneficiaries who got their first dose of Covishield but did not get their second within stipulated period of time as prescribed by the government as per the due report on CoWIN portal is 34,072,993,” the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare stated while replying to Sharma’s query.

The corresponding figures for Covaxin, the other major vaccine being used in the vaccination programme, is 4,678,406. The total number of those who missed the due date for their second dose thus stands at 38,751,399 as on August 17, 2021.

“It is recommended that the beneficiaries who received their first dose of vaccine get their second in the stipulated period. There is no recommendation for those who do not take their second dose within stipulated period as prescribed by the Government of India, to get their first dose again,” the Health ministry further said.

The prescribed gap between two doses of Covishield is 84 to 112 days, while that between two Covaxin shots should be 28-42 days.

Till Thursday noon, 442,285,854 people had received their first dose, while 125,907,443 had taken both doses.