India Backs Astrazeneca Vaccine; Will Continue It for Covid-19 Vaccination

Recently, India confirmed that it will continue the use of AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine for its immunisation programme. The country has backed the Covid-19 vaccine despite some safety concerns in Europe. It must be noted that out of 5 million, 30 cases of unusual blood disorders in people who received the vaccine are currently being investigated by the European Medicines Agency.

India’s coronavirus vaccination drive started on January 16. Since then, about 36 million vaccine doses, comprising mostly AstraZeneca shots were used. It must be noted that AstraZeneca-Oxford coronavirus vaccine is locally developed by Serum Institute of India and known as Covishield.

Vinod Kumar Paul, the Head of a government committee on vaccines, informed that there is no signal of concern in this regard and that experts in India had looked into the issue. He also confirmed that Covishield vaccination will continue with full rigour in the country.

The World Health Organization has stated that it is investigating whether medical events such as blood clots have any link with the vaccine. Meanwhile, AstraZeneca has confirmed that a review of safety data showcases no evidence of an increased risk of blood clots.

On Wednesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that a quick action was required to contain the novel coronavirus surge, as the country’s infections tally hit 11.44 million. In a virtual meeting with the state leaders, he emphasises that India required quick, decisive steps to stop the emergency second rise of novel coronavirus.

Novel coronavirus cases in India jumped by 28,903 on Wednesday. It must be noted that it is the highest increase since December 13.

Disclaimer: This article is issued in the general public interest and meant for general information purposes only. Readers are advised not to rely on the contents of the article as conclusive in nature and should research further or consult an expert in this regard.