PTI
New Delhi
The government on Wednesday permitted round-the-clock COVID-19 vaccination as part of efforts to speed up the immunisation drive, which received a fresh boost with the makers of the indigenous Covaxin announcing that it has shown an interim efficacy of 81 per cent in Phase 3 clinical trials.
Easing restrictions, all private hospitals were on Tuesday allowed to give the coronavirus vaccines if they adhere to the laid down norms, while the 9 am to 5 pm timing has also been done away with.
The cumulative number of COVID-19 vaccine doses administered since January 16 in the country crossed 1.63 crore on Wednesday evening, the Union Health Ministry said.
As many as 8,44,884 people, who are more than 60 years old and 1,04,263 people aged 45 and above with specific co-morbidities have received their first jab in the second phase of the exercise which began on March 1.
“The government has lifted the time restriction to increase the speed of vaccination. People can now get vaccinated 24×7 according to their convenience. Prime Minister Narendra Modi understands the value of health as well as the time of citizens,” Health Minister Harsh Vardhan tweeted in Hindi, a day after he got COVID-19 vaccine.
President Ram Nath Kovind was administered the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine at an army hospital in the national capital on Wednesday. Several other prominent people including Union Minister Hardeep Puri, Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, Meghalaya Governor Satya Pal Malik and Sikkim
Governor Ganga Prasad also received their first jabs.
The Indian Council of Medical Research, the country’s apex research body, and Bharat Biotech announced that phase 3 results of Covaxin, developed by them, have shown an interim vaccine efficacy of 81 per cent in preventing COVID-19, and dubbed it as an important milestone in vaccine discovery.
“The bench-to-bedside journey of completely indigenous COVID-19 vaccine in less than eight months’ time showcases the immense strength of Atmanirbhar Bharat (self-reliant India) to fight the odds and stand tall in the global public health community. It is also a testament to India’s emergence as a global vaccine superpower,” said Dr Balram Bhargava, Director General, ICMR, said on Wednesday.
In January, India’s drugs regulator had approved Oxford COVID-19 vaccine Covishield, manufactured by the Serum Institute, and Covaxin for restricted emergency use in the country, paving the way for the massive inoculation drive. Some questions were raised on the approval to Covaxin as its phase three trial results were awaited, but the company and government authorities had discounted concerns.
“Today is an important milestone in vaccine discovery, for science and our fight against coronavirus. With today’s results from our phase 3 clinical trials, we have now reported data on our COVID-19 vaccine from Phase 1, 2, and 3 trials involving around 27,000 participants,” Bharat Biotech chairman and managing director Krishna Ella said.