Finally, Covaxin gets approved by WHO

WHO granted Bharat Biotech's Covaxin an emergency use!

WHO granted Bharat Biotech's Covaxin an emergency use listing, giving the indigenously developed Covid vaccine international recognition that would ease the restrictions on Indian travellers who received the shot and also pave the way for the company to export the doses.

The WHO said that The Technical Advisory Group advises WHO recommended that the inactivated virus vaccine meets the required standards to be administered in adults over the age of 18.

The WHO said the available data on vaccination of pregnant women with Covaxin was insufficient to assess vaccine safety or efficacy in pregnancy.

Covaxin is the seventh Covid vaccine to be approved by WHO, after the mRNA shots of Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna, adenovirus vector vaccines developed by AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson, and the inactivated vaccines from China's Sinovac Biotech and Sinopharm. SII-made Covishield is the same as the AstraZeneca vaccine.

In the absence of approval, Indians who have received both the shots of Covaxin had to quarantine upon arrival in several countries just like the unvaccinated, and Indian students at foreign universities had to take additional shots of Pfizer or Moderna to be able to attend in-person classes.

The WHO approval has now removed these barriers. India has administered over 120 million doses of Covaxin thus far.

The listing would also strengthen Bharat Biotech's plans to export the vaccine. The company's first export deal was cancelled by Brazil over allegations of improprieties and kickbacks to authorities by a partner firm.

PM Narendra Modi backed the door-to-door administration of Covid vaccines in a review meeting with district officials. Several states, including Maharashtra, have been asking the Centre to allow door-door vaccination, especially for those bedridden or unable to visit a centre.