COVID-19: Serum Institute Backs Vaccine’s Safety After AstraZeneca Admits Error

New Delhi: The Pune-based Serum Institute of India (SII) has said the COVID-19 vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University is safe and effective, and the Indian trials are progressing smoothly with strict adherence to all protocols.

The SII comment on Thursday came after AstraZeneca and Oxford University acknowledged a manufacturing error that is raising questions about preliminary results of their experimental COVID-19 vaccine candidate, news agency PTI reported.

A statement describing the error came days after the company and the university described the shots as “highly effective” and made no mention of why some study participants did not receive as much vaccine in the first of two shots as expected.

The SII said, “The AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine is safe and effective. Even the lowest efficacy results are at 60-70%, making it a viable vaccine against the virus.”

Claiming that varied age groups with different dosage forms will result in slight variations and efficacy, SII added, “We must be patient and not panic”.

SII is conducting clinical trials of AstraZeneca-Oxford’s COVID-19 vaccine candidate in India.