Awaiting more information on Covaxin: WHO

The WHO’s nod for Covaxin’s emergency use authorisation is necessary for its widespread acceptability as a safe and effective vaccine.

The World Health Organization (WHO) on Monday said it cannot cut corners to recommend Covaxin’s inclusion in the Emergency Use Listing (EUL) for vaccination against coronavirus disease (Covid-19). The UN health agency said it is expecting one additional piece of information from Covaxin manufacturer, Bharat Biotech, which has been submitting data to the WHO on a rolling basis.

The UN health agency said it is expecting one additional piece of information from Covaxin manufacturer, Bharat Biotech, which has been submitting data to the WHO on a rolling basis.

“We are aware many people are waiting for WHO’s recommendation for Covaxin to be included in the #COVID19 Emergency Use Listing, but we cannot cut corners - before recommending a product for emergency use, we must evaluate it thoroughly to make sure it is safe and effective,” the WHO said in a series of tweets.

The WHO’s nod for Covaxin’s emergency use authorisation is necessary for its widespread acceptability as a safe and effective vaccine. “The timeframe for the WHO Emergency Use Listing procedure is dependent on how quickly a company producing the vaccine is able to provide the data required for WHO to evaluate the vaccine’s quality, safety, efficacy and its suitability for low- and middle-income countries,” the WHO tweeted.