Why BCCI asked Indian cricketers to take only Covishield vaccine ?

India’s top cricketers have started receiving their vaccines after the Indian government threw open the drive for those aged 18 and above from May 1. BCCI has asked the players to get the Covishield vaccine instead of the Covaxin.

India pacer Jasprit Bumrah on Tuesday received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, while on Monday, India skipper Virat Kohli, pacer Ishant Sharma, and batsman Cheteshwar Pujara also received their first dose of Covid-19 vaccine. Shikhar Dhawan, Ajinkya Rahane and Umesh Yadav have also taken the first jibe of the vaccine.

Virat Kohli shared the following picture of him getting vaccinated on his Instagram story:

Why BCCI asked Indian cricketers to take only Covishield vaccine ?

BCCI has asked the players to get the Covishield vaccine instead of the Covaxin, as Covishield is based on Oxford-the AstraZeneca vaccine (a UK based product) meaning that the Indian players can get the second jab easily during the five-match Test series against England. It is worth mentioning that the second dose of the vaccine requires a gap of a minimum of 28 days and the 24 players bound for England will be in the UK as the Team Indian contingent leaves at the start of June.

“It is advised that they take Covishield in India because it is based on the AstraZeneca vaccine, a UK product. They may get the second shot in the UK. Getting a different vaccine [Covaxin] here is of no use.” A BCCI source said.

See the schedule of India vs England series here :

India vs England Test Series Schedule

See the photos of Indian cricketers receiving the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine.

IPL 2021 was suspended due to several cases of Covid infections across teams. The Indian men’s team is scheduled to leave for the UK on June 2 via a charter flight. The Indian team will be on a three-and-a-half months-long tour, where they will first play the World Test Championship final against New Zealand (June 18-22) followed by a five-Test series against England in August-September.

India is currently undergoing a second – and far more deadly – Covid-19 wave. The country has been setting world records for infection rates over the last few days, according to health authorities, leading to a situation that has devastated the medical system. There is a current shortage of hospital beds in the ICU departments, as well as a lack of medicines and ventilators.