Minutes after two vaccines for Covid-19, Covishield from the Pune-based Serum Institute and Covaxin from Bharat Biotech, received emergency approval from the country’s drug regulator on Sunday, Delhi’s Health Minister Satyendar Jain has said that healthcare and frontline workers will be vaccinated in the first phase.
Talking to the news agency AND MEJain said: “There are three lakhs of healthcare workers and six lakhs of frontline workers in Delhi who will be given the Covid-19 vaccine.”
On Saturday, Delhi’s Health Minister said that coronavirus vaccines will be administered free of charge in the national capital once it reaches the city and confirmed that the Delhi government has made preparations for the vaccination campaign.
“Yes, the drugs and treatment are provided for free in Delhi anyway,” Jain said when asked if the vaccine would be given for free.
Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan has also said that in the first phase of the coronavirus vaccination, a free nationwide vaccine will be provided to most of the prioritized beneficiaries, including a crore healthcare provider and two crore of frontline workers.
India approves serum vaccines and Bharat Biotech
The country’s Comptroller General of Drugs of India (DCGI) formally approved the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccines, made by the Serum Institute, and Bharat Biotech, on Sunday, saying they will be administered in two doses each.
DCGI’s VG Somani has said that both companies have submitted data on their testing of the Covid-19 vaccines and that both have been granted permission for “restricted use” in emergency situations.
He also said that the vaccine trial was conducted on 23,745 participants and the overall efficacy of the vaccine was found to be greater than 70%. “The Indian data was also found to be comparable with overseas clinical studies,” DCGI said.
The approval by the drug regulator was granted based on the recommendations presented by a committee of experts on the subject of coronavirus (SEC) of the Central Organization for the Control of Drug Standards (CDSCO).
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