SII President Cyrus Poonawalla said, the third dose of Covishield is necessary

Pune : Serum Institute of India (SII) President Cyrus Poonawalla said here on Friday that the ideal gap between two doses of Covishield is two months and another dose of the vaccine should be taken after six months. Asked about a report published in the medical journal Lancet that the anti-coronavirus antibodies produced by the SII-manufactured vaccine Kovishield, decreased after some time, Poonawalla told reporters that it is true that the antibodies are reduced. but the “memory cells” remain.

After six months, a booster i.e. third dose is necessary.

He said that after six months, the antibodies subside and so I have taken the third dose. We have given the third dose to seven to eight thousand employees of our SII. For those who have completed the second dose, I request them to take a booster dose (3rd dose) after six months.

The ideal gap between two doses is 2 months

He was speaking at a press conference after receiving the prestigious Lokmanya Tilak Award here. He said the ideal gap between two doses of Covishield is two months. Poonawalla said that since there is a shortage of vaccines, the Modi government has reduced this period to three months, but a gap of two months is ideal.

He also said that the lockdown is not an effective way to deal with the virus. He claimed that in most cases the deaths were due to negligence and delay in reporting the infection to doctors.