India relaxes 9-month mandatory waiting period for Covid-19 precaution dose for overseas travellers

New Delhi: The Centre on Thursday (May 12) announced to relax the existing guidelines on Covid-19 booster doses for overseas travellers. These foreign-bound travellers will now be able to take a precaution dose before the stipulated nine-month waiting period as required by the guidelines of the destination country, PTI reported. 

Union Health Mansukh Mandaviya said in a tweet, “Indian citizens and students travelling overseas can now take the precaution dose as required by the guidelines of the destination country. This new facility will be available soon on the CoWIN portal.” 

Indian citizens & students travelling overseas can now take the precaution dose as required by the guidelines of the destination country.

This new facility will be available soon on the CoWIN portal. — Dr Mansukh Mandaviya (@mansukhmandviya) May 12, 2022

The health ministry’s decision to ease rules on the precaution dose for overseas travellers comes after the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (NTAGI)’s recommendations. 

According to PTI, last week, the advisory panel suggested that those travelling overseas can take the precautionary jab of the Covid-19 vaccine as per the norms of their destination country before the mandatory nine-month gap. "The issue was discussed in a meeting of NTAGI held last week after which it recommended that those who need to travel overseas can take the booster shot, before the stipulated nine-month waiting period, as per the booster guidelines of the country they are travelling to," a source had told the news agency. 

Notably, India has allowed all those above 18 years to take a precaution jab, providing they have completed nine months after the second dose. This third vaccine shot has been made available to the acdult population groups at private vaccination centres. 

India had commenced administering precaution doses of Covid-19 vaccines to the healthcare and frontline workers and those aged 60 and above with comorbidities from January 10 this year. Later, the Center had extended the booster dose for all those above 60 and eventually for 18 plus population at private vaccination centres. 

Meanwhile, over 190.83 crore vaccine doses have been administered in the country so far since the commencement of the nationwide vaccination drive.

(With agency inputs)