Vaccination for people who have contracted Covid-19 would be deferred by three months from the date of their recovery, the Union health ministry said on Wednesday, as it accepted recommendations of a national expert group.

The expert group has also recommended that Covid-19 vaccination should be encouraged for all lactating women. However, further deliberations are on whether pregnant women should be vaccinated or not.

The health ministry said the fresh recommendations given by the National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration for Covid-19 (NEGVAC) were based on the "evolving situation of the Covid-19 pandemic and emerging global scientific evidence and experience".