In India, over 6.5 lakh people have received the Russian made Sputnik COVID 19 vaccine; they will soon be eligible to take a booster jab. India had previously approved the third dose of COVID vaccines – Covishield and Covaxin for adults and now it has approved the third dose of Sputnik vaccine.
According to Hindustan Times, the Centre has approved Sputnik light as a precautionary dose and it will be available at private vaccination centres across India. Currently, the CoWIN portal doesn’t show the option of precaution dose for Sputnik V. People who had taken their two jabs in July last year have yet to take their precautionary dose.
“The NTAGI’s Standing Technical Sub-Committee (STSC), which held its meeting on Friday, discussed the issue and recommended that the first dose of Sputnik V can be given as the precaution dose to all those vaccinated with the Russian jab,” an official source told PTI.
The NTAGI is an advisory committee that provides information and recommendations to the government for making decisions on vaccines based on evidence.
Last week, the Supreme Court said that no individual can be forced to get vaccinated under Article 21 of the Constitution. Also, the third dose is not free, so people have a choice if they want to opt for the precautionary dose or not.
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