chandigarh punjab government has reduced the gap for administering the second dose of covishield vaccine to 28 days for individuals seeking to undertake foreign travel the state had taken up the issue with centre to reduce prescribed time of second dose of covishield to provide full coverage to facilitate international travellers especially students who are not covered in priority groups punjab health minister balbir singh sidhu said students were not able to go overseas for studies even after paying hefty fees students and their parents were repeatedly requesting punjab to reduce the gap from 84 days sidhu said the union ministry of health and family welfare has issued the recommendations to reduce of gap between first and second dose to 28 days for students who had to undertake foreign travel for the purposes of education similarly persons who have to take up jobs in foreign countries athletes sportspersons and accompanying staff of indian contingent attending international olympic games to be held in tokyothese instructions have been issued to all deputy commissioners for further action he said the vaccination certificate would be issued by the district immunisation officer the relaxations would be in force for international travel up to august 31 2021giving details about the consignment of states procured covishield and covaxin for age groups of 1844 in june he said that central government would deliver 156720 doses on june 11 130160 on june 17 156720 on june 19 and 132150 doses on july 1 in the same way 25000 doses of covaxin will be received on june 20 and 12000 on june 23 and 19370 doses on june 28 he said that 50000 doses of covaxin were received on tuesdayhe said that a total of 575750 doses of covishield would be received in the next 23 days whereas 110370 doses of covaxin would be arriving in the next 20 daysdisclosing the purchase order sent to serum institute and bharat biotech sidhu said amount of around rs 12 crore was paid for 380350 doses of covishield on may 25 and rs 615 crore for 195400 doses of covishield on june 1 he said rs 475 crore has paid for 113120 doses of covaxin on june 1