New Delhi: India's drugs regulator on Sunday approved Oxford COVID-19 vaccine Covishield, manufactured by the Serum Institute, and indigenously developed Covaxin of Bharat Biotech for restricted emergency use in the country, paving the way for a massive inoculation drive.
The approval by the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) was given on the basis of recommendations submitted by a COVID-19 subject expert committee (SEC) of the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO).
"After adequate examination, CDSCO has decided to accept the recommendations of the Expert Committee and accordingly, vaccines of M/s Serum and M/s Bharat Biotech are being approved for restricted use in emergency situation," DCGI Dr VG Somani said.
This paves the way for the roll out of at least two vaccines in India in the coming days.
The Serum Institute of India, the world's largest vaccine manufacturer, has tied up with AstraZeneca to manufacture Covishield.
Covaxin has been indigenously developed by Bharat Biotech in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).
Meanwhile, India added 18,177 coronavirus infections in the past 24 hours, placing its overall number at 1.03 crore cases, the Health Ministry's data showed. The number of fresh infections is 4.7 per cent lower than on Saturday. In this period, India reported 217 deaths linked to the virus, taking the total number of fatalities to 1,49,435.
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Here are the LIVE updates on Coronavirus Cases:
Jan 04, 2021 05:52 (IST)
"Bharat Biotech Vaccine Could Be Back-Up For Now," Says AIIMS Chief
Bharat Biotech's coronavirus vaccine, which is still undergoing clinical trial, is likely to be the "back-up" vaccine in the coming days, Dr Randeep Guleria, the chief of Delhi's All-India Institute of Medical Sciences said today as two vaccines got emergency approval from the country's drug regulator.
Politics has started over the approval to Covaxin, with several opposition parties pointing out that the vaccine was approved without the full process.
Congress's Shashi Tharoor tweeted, "The Covaxin has not yet had Phase 3 trials. Approval was premature and could be dangerous. @drharshvardhan should please clarify. Its use should be avoided till full trials are over. India can start with the AstraZeneca vaccine in the meantime".
Jan 04, 2021 04:17 (IST)
Health Minister Harsh Vardhan criticised Congress and other opposition leaders over their comments on Bharat Biotech's Covaxin, which was cleared for emergency use in the country along with the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine manufactured by the Serum Institute of India.
Congress leaders Shashi Tharoor and Jairam Ramesh, and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav had pointed out that Covaxin lacked efficacy data to show the vaccine's effectiveness before it was approved for emergency use.
"Disgraceful for anyone to politicise such a critical issue. Sh @ShashiTharoor, Sh @yadavakhilesh & Sh @Jairam_Ramesh don't try to discredit well laid out science-backed protocols followed for approving #COVID19 vaccines. Wake up & realise you are only discrediting yourselves," Harsh Vardhan tweeted.
Jan 04, 2021 03:04 (IST)
No Covid Safety, 65 Arrested For Partying At Hookah Bars In Delhi
Sixty-five people have been arrested from two illegal hookah bars in Delhi's Rohini after police raids. Coronavirus norms were also being violated at the bars, police said, saying social distancing was not followed at either establishment.
26 people, including four staff members, were arrested from Uptown Cafe in Rohini's Sector 9 on January 1. Ten hookahs have also been seized by the police in the raids.
35 people, including 10 women and three minors were arrested from Sector 8's Mud House restaurant in January 2. Six staff members were also arrested in the raid and 12 hookahs were confiscated as well. Three owners of the hookah bar have also been arrested in the raid.
Jan 03, 2021 22:23 (IST)
Coronavirus LIVE Updates: Aim is to run vaccination process without glitch, tackling administrative, public challenges, says AIIMS Director
With vaccine roll out on the cards after Drugs Controller General of India''s (DCGI) approval, the country needs to tackle public and administrative challenges to have a smooth vaccination roll-out, said Randeep Guleria, Director, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) on Sunday.
"The challenges are going to be both from the administration point of view and public point of view. From the administration, the challenge is to ensure that things run smoothly, and from point of view of public the challenge is to reassure them that this is a safe and effective vaccine," said Dr Guleria.
Jan 03, 2021 22:02 (IST)
Coronavirus LIVE Updates: US officials defend troubled vaccine rollout
US officials on Sunday defended the stumbling campaign to vaccinate millions of Americans against the coronavirus, saying they expected much more to be done in coming weeks after delays.
"There have been a couple of glitches, that's understandable," top US scientist Anthony Fauci said on ABC. He said there would always be challenges in "trying to get a massive vaccine program started and getting off on the right foot."
Some 4.2 million Americans have received initial doses of the two-dose vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna, but that is far below official predictions of 20 million by the new year, AFP reported.
Jan 03, 2021 21:39 (IST)
Coronavirus LIVE Updates: Egypt probes Covid-19 deaths due to alleged lack of oxygen
Egypt said Sunday it had opened an investigation into the deaths of four Covid-19 patients in an intensive care unit allegedly due to lack of oxygen, which had sparked a public outcry.
"The prosecutor's office in Al-Husseiniya (in the northern Sharqiya province) summoned the director of Al-Husseiniya hospital to question him over the deaths of four people due to lack of oxygen," a judicial source told AFP, without specifying the dates of the deaths.
Jan 03, 2021 20:50 (IST)
Coronavirus LIVE Updates: In Canada, shippers race to move cancer treatments as COVID-19 grounds flights
Medical companies and shippers in Canada are racing to transport time-sensitive radiochemical materials used to treat cancer, as a pandemic-induced drop in passenger flights has narrowed transportation options and created cargo delays, Reuters reported.
Jan 03, 2021 19:03 (IST)
Coronavirus LIVE Updates: Homes of Pelosi and McConnell vandalised amid political tussle over COVID stimulus
The homes of the two highest-ranking members of the US Congress - House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell - have been vandalised, police said, amid a political battle over a stimulus package to coronavirus-hit Americans. Fake blood and a severed pig''s head were reportedly left outside top Democrat Pelosi''s California house, which was also daubed with graffiti, PTI reported.
Jan 03, 2021 18:44 (IST)
Coronavirus LIVE Updates: Delhi records 424 fresh COVID-19 cases, lowest in over seven months
Delhi recorded 424 fresh COVID-19 cases, the lowest in over seven months, and 14 more fatalities due to the disease on Sunday, even as the positivity rate slipped to 0.62 per cent, authorities said. The COVID-19 case tally in the city stands at over 6.26 lakh and the death count due to the disease has climbed to 10,585, PTI reported.
Jan 03, 2021 16:59 (IST)
Coronavirus LIVE Updates: Israel plans 2 million vaccinated by end of January
Israel said Sunday two million people will have received a two-dose Covid-19 vaccination by the end of January, a pace Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu boasts is the world's fastest.
Starting on December 19, when Netanyahu got his first jab, Israel launched an aggressive push to administer the vaccine made by US-German pharma alliance Pfizer-BioNTech.
Health Ministry Director General Hezi Levy said that because of the enthusiastic takeup, Israel would be easing the speed of vaccination to eke out stocks, AFP reported.
