INDIA’S COVID-19 JAB COVAXIN GETS WHO APPROVAL

Wed 03 November 2021:

The World Health Organization on Wednesday granted Covaxin an emergency use listing, or EUL, which means the ‘made-in-India’ vaccine will finally be recognised by other countries and Indians who received the shot need not self-quarantine or face restrictions when travelling abroad.

Covaxin has been cleared for use in all age groups (18+) over two doses spaced four weeks apart. However, no recommendation has been made for use on children, and available data for use on pregnant women is insufficient to assess safety or efficacy, WHO said.

“The Technical Advisory Group, convened by WHO and made up of regulatory experts from around the world, has determined that the Covaxin vaccine meets WHO standards for protection against COVID-19, that the benefit of the vaccine far outweighs risks and the vaccine can be used,” the WHO said in a statement.

The Technical Advisory Group, convened by WHO and made up of regulatory experts from around the world, has determined that the #Covaxin vaccine meets WHO standards for protection against #COVID19, that the benefit of the vaccine far outweighs risks & the vaccine can be used 🌍.

— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) November 3, 2021

It recommended the use of the vaccine in two doses, with an interval of four weeks in age groups 18 and above.

But the vaccine has not been advised for pregnant women as available data is “insufficient” to “assess vaccine safety or efficacy in pregnancy.”

The WHO said the vaccine was found to have 78% efficacy against COVID-19 of any severity, and is “extremely suitable for low- and middle-income countries due to easy storage requirements.”

Other COVID-19 vaccines approved by the specialized UN agency are Pfizer-BioNTech, Oxford-AstraZeneca, Johnson amp; Johnson’s Janssen, Moderna, Sinopharm, and Sinovac.

The approval is also likely to clear the way for India to commit vaccine supplies to COVAX – the global vaccine-sharing effort co-led by the WHO which aims to provide vaccines to poorer countries.

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