Fact Check: Will India Get A Single-Dose COVID-19 Vaccine?

New Delhi: Covishield and Covaxin, the two brands being used currently to inoculate people in India against coronavirus, are both double-dose vaccines.

Is there a possibility of our country getting a single-dose COVID vaccine in near future?

Well, it seems so.

Johnson & Johnson, the US drugs and healthcare company, is in talks with Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) to launch a clinical trial of its single-dose COVID-19 vaccine here.

Reuters quoted a local Johnson & Johnson representative, news agency Reuters on Friday reported that the company was in discussion with the Indian government “with the objective of starting a bridging clinical study of our Janssen Covid-19 vaccine candidate in India, subject to local regulatory approvals.”

A ‘bridging clinical study’ is a thorough test done to check the safety and immunogenicity of a vaccine. The Indian government has made it mandatory for any vaccine-maker to conduct such a trial for its candidate to be considered for the world’s largest immunisation programme.

Johnson & Johnson has already tied up with Indian pharmaceutical company Biological E to expand manufacturing capabilities of its vaccine candidate.

Russia’s Sputnik-V and Cadila Healthcare Ltd’s vaccine candidate are currently in trials for use in India.

Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine has already been approved for use in the United States, European Union nations and countries like Thailand and South Africa.

Also Read: WHO Clears Johnson & Johnson COVID Vaccine For Emergency Use