India Gets COVID Vaccine: SII & Bharat Biotech Candidates Formally Approved

New Delhi: India has finally got its vaccine against coronavirus. Two vaccines — Pune-based Serum Institute’s Covishield and Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin — received emergency use approval from the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) on Sunday.

Announcing the formal approval for the two vaccines, DCGI Dr VG Somani said they will be administered in two dosages each, India Today reported.

The DCGI approval was given on the basis of recommendations submitted by a coronavirus subject expert committee (SEC) of the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO).

On Covishield, Somani said the vaccine trial was conducted on 23,745 participants and the overall efficacy was found to be more than 70 per cent. “The Indian data was also found to be comparable with overseas clinical studies,” he said.

“Bharat Biotech’s coronavirus vaccine Covaxin is safe and gives a robust immune response,” the DCGI added.

Asserting that any vaccine with even the slightest safety concern would not be approved, the DCGI said the vaccines that have been approved for emergency use are 110 per cent safe.