Highly deplorable to overreact, entice fear without due diligence on COVID-19 vaccine: Vardhan

NEW DELHI: It is highly deplorable to overreact, entice fear and spread misinformation without doing any due diligence on the COVID-19 vaccine, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said on Tuesday after Bharat Biotech released a factsheet specifying conditions when Covaxin should not be given.

He was replying to a tweet that asked why such crucial information was allegedly not made public earlier.

The health minister also referred to an earlier tweet by him on January 15, wherein he had posted a chart with details of all those people who should not get the vaccine.

"Highly deplorable to over-react, entice fear and spread misinformation without performing an iota of due diligence. These facts have been in public domain since the beginning. Follow @MoHFW_INDIA (health ministry Twitter handle) to stay informed and do some research before speaking out," Vardhan tweeted.

In the factsheet on COVID-19 vaccine Covaxin, Bharat Biotech has advised pregnant or breastfeeding women and people with high fever or bleeding disorders not to take the antidote.

The vaccine maker in the fact sheet on Covaxin, posted in its website, said the clinical efficacy of the vaccine is yet to be established and is being studied in phase three clinical trial, and hence it is important to appreciate that receiving the vaccine does not mean other precautions related to COVID-19 need not be followed.

Covaxin has been granted approval for restricted use in emergency situations.

It is India's totally indigenous COVID-19 vaccine developed in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research and the National Institute of Virology.