WHO expert group recommends use of AstraZeneca Covid vaccineNew Delhi, Feb 12: After Chhattisgarh Health Minister T S Singh Deo said that expiry date was not mentioned on vials of Covaxin vaccine, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan shared a picture of a vial.
Calling Deo's claim "baseless", Vardhan said, "The info is available on label of each vial." "In such unprecedented times, you should help address any vaccine hesitancy," he added.
Chhattisgarh Health Minister T S Singh Deo is sensationalising non-issues and further said, "kindly focus on improving vaccine coverage in the State."
WHO expert group recommends use of AstraZeneca Covid vaccine
The response came after Chhattisgarh Health Minister T S Singh Deo wrote to the Union Health Minister Dr Vardhan on Thursday expressing his concern about the absence of expiration date on the vials of the vaccine.
Both #COVAXIN & #COVISHIELD have been granted EUA in India after completing due diligence & following protocols establishing their safety & immunogenicity.
— Dr Harsh Vardhan (@drharshvardhan) February 11, 2021
As for your baseless claim of expiry date not being mentioned on COVAXIN vials,the info is available on label of each vial. pic.twitter.com/5ygrCHZzuD
In the letter to Vardhan, dated January 21, Deo had said that there was an "inhibition among the community" regarding Covaxin, as the vaccine had been given emergency use authoriation before the completion of third phase human trials.
In his letter, Vardhan said that both Covaxin and Serum Institute's Covishield vaccines were "safe and immunogenic" and "should be used expeditiously" to "rapidly confer protection to prioritized beneficiaries".
"Your concern regarding unavailability of expiry date on Covaxin vial is also completely unfounded and without basis as the same is mentioned on the label of vaccine vials," Vardhan wrote, posting a photo of one of the vials.
He further pointed out that Chhatisgarh has had been able to administer the first dose of vaccine to only 9.55 per cent of its 2,09,512 front line workers. "...You would appreciate that this coverage needs to improve significantly since the adequate quantity of both the vaccines are available with the state," Vardhan said.