‘Both vaccines are safe for use’: Centre ahead of vaccination roll-out in India

• Covishield and Covaxin, the two COVID-19 vaccines which have received Emergency Use Authorisation (EAU) have been tested on thousands of people and side-effects are negligible, Dr VK Paul, Member (Health), NITI Aayog, said on Tuesday and noted that the two "are safest of the vaccines". "Both the vaccines (Covishield and Covaxin) have been authorized for emergency use and there should be no doubt about their safety. They have been tested on thousands of people and side-effects are negligible. There is no risk of any significance," Dr Paul said at a press conference here. "These two are safest of the vaccines. Let's give the message that these vaccines are safe and secure. We need to send the message we need to take this message and defeat coronavirus," he added. The first phase of the COVID-19 vaccination drive is scheduled to start from January 16. Watch the full video for more details.