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Bahrain doubles Covishield-AstraZeneca dosing interval

by BTM

Mon, 01 March 2021

Bahrain doubles Covishield-AstraZeneca dosing interval

The dosing intervals of the Covishield-AstraZeneca vaccine will be extended from four to eight weeks after a recommendation made by the World Health Organisation (WHO) revealed a strong correlation between longer dose intervals and vaccine efficacy.

The Bahrain Ministry of Health's Undersecretary for Public Health and member of the Technical Consultative Committee of the Arab Health Ministers Council, Dr Mariam Al Hajeri, announced the move.

She underlined that the Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE), an advisory group to the WHO, had recommended administering inoculations four to 12 weeks apart, with a strong recommendation for longer dose intervals between eight to 12 weeks apart to produce a stronger immune response.

She also noted that the Kingdom first approved the Covishield-AstraZeneca vaccine for emergency use on January 21 to expedite vaccine delivery to vulnerable groups at risk of developing complications associated with COVID-19, including the elderly and those with compromised immune systems.

The Covishield-AstraZeneca vaccine, produced by AstraZeneca in cooperation with the University of Oxford, is manufactured by the Serum Institute of India under the name 'Covishield'

For more news and information, visit www.bahrainthismonth.com/updates

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