Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan on Friday said that Covid vaccines are safe and their use has been authorized by competent authorities.
He rejected the claims of Chhattisgarh Health Minister T.S. Singh Deo that some vials of the vaccine did not carry expiry dates.
“As per New Drugs and Clinical Trials Rule, 2019 under Drug and Cosmetics Act 1940 and in light of urgent need due to Covid pandemic in the country, Central Drugs Standards & Control Organization (CDSCO) headed by the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI), the National Regular, has granted permission to manufacture two Covid-19 vaccine based on the prescribed procedure and after due evaluation of pre-clinical and clinical trial data,” Dr Harsh Vardhan said in his letter.
Only those Covid-19 vaccines that have been granted permission for restricted use in emergency situation by the DGCI (Covidshield and Covaxin) are being used for Covid-19 vaccination drive in the country.
Both these vaccines which are being supplied to the states and union territories are safe and immunogenic, he said.
He said that Chhattisgarh has been able to cover only 9.55 percent of its 2.09 lakh frontline workers through the first dose of the vaccine. He said this coverage needs to be improved significantly.
On Thursday, Singh Deo had written to Dr Harsh Vardhan demanding that coronavirus vaccine Covaxin should not be supplied to Chhattisgarh.
He reasoned that the clinical trials of phase-3 of Covaxin is yet to be completed and this has led to a sense of hesitancy in its use.