Covaxin, the coronavirus vaccine from Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech, has been recommended for "restricted use in emergency situation in public interest" by a government-appointed panel, which submitted its findings to the Drugs Controller General of India on Saturday evening.
The DCGI will take the final call on approving of the vaccine. The national regulator is scheduled to address the media at 11 am Sunday.
The recommendation comes despite the lack of efficacy data at this time. Covaxin has completed only two of three trial phases; the third - which tests for efficacy and which the company has called "the largest... ever conducted in India" - began in November.
Free coronavirus vaccines will be given in the first phase to three crore people who have been on the frontline in the fight against the highly contagious disease, Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said today. The government will give priority to 1 crore healthcare workers and 2 crore frontline workers when India begins the rollout of Covid vaccine.
"In 1st phase of #COVID19Vaccination free #vaccine shall be provided across the nation to most prioritised beneficiaries that incl 1 crore healthcare & 2 crore frontline workers. Details of how further 27 cr priority beneficiaries are to be vaccinated until July are being finalised (sic)," Dr Harsh Vardhan tweeted on Saturday.
Overall coronavirus cases in India crossed the 1.03-crore mark on Saturday as the country recorded 19,079 fresh COVID-19 infections - 5 per cent lower than yesterday's 20,035 - in the last 24 hours, government data shows. In the last 24 hours, 224 people also died of the highly infectious disease pushing the tally to 1,49,218.
