Serum Institute of India’s Covishield and Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin have been authorised for restricted emergency use and there should be no doubt about their safety, Dr VK Paul, Member (Health), NITI Aayog said on Tuesday, adding that the two vaccines against the coronavirus disease have been tested on thousands of people and the side effects are negligible. “There is no risk of any significance,” he said.
Union health secretary Rajesh Bhushan also assured that there will neither be any compromise on the scientific and regulatory norms nor on the existing healthcare services during the vaccination drive that begins from January 16 across the nation. “The Centre had been proactive and pre-emptive in addressing the vaccination needs in the country and a task force was set up in May last year to promote indigenous research and development in vaccines, pharmaceuticals and diagnostics,” he said during a health ministry briefing.
The remarks come as Pune-based pharma firm SII started the shipment of the Astrazeneca-Ofxord vaccine Covishield across several cities. The Centre has sent a purchase order of 11 million doses of the vaccine which is being provided to it at ₹200 for the first 100 million doses. The price will later be increased to ₹1000 per dose, according to SII chief executive officer Adar Poonawalla.
Meanwhile, Bharat Biotech is ready to dispatch its vaccine Covaxin from the Rajv Gandhi International Airport in Hyderabad on Tuesday evening. Covaxin, which is still in the third phase of trial, is indigenously developed by Bharat Biotech and Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)-National Institute of Virology (NIV).
{{/usCountry}}Meanwhile, Bharat Biotech is ready to dispatch its vaccine Covaxin from the Rajv Gandhi International Airport in Hyderabad on Tuesday evening. Covaxin, which is still in the third phase of trial, is indigenously developed by Bharat Biotech and Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)-National Institute of Virology (NIV).
{{/usCountry}}During the briefing, VK Paul also lauded the Indian Medical Association (IMA) that has requested its 3.5 lakh members from 1800 local branches to volunteer for Covid-19 vaccination to demonstrate its safety and efficacy to the general public. “The IMA has decided to accept and support the two indigenously developed vaccines. I would like to thank them for this,” he said.