Chhattisgarh should wait for the third phase of the clinical trial results of Covaxin vaccine against Covid-19, Health Minister T.S. Singh Deo reiterated on Friday.
He said this in response to Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan’s remark that Covaxin is safe.
Singh Deo told The Pioneer that Dr Harsh Vardhan in his letter has not commented on the third phase clinical trial of Covaxin. The issue remains, he added.
“Is there any relevance to the third phase trial or not? Or approval (for vaccine) can be given without third phase trials? If the results of phase 1 and 2 are positive and if there are indications its use is safe, then we will start vaccination,” he said.
He said Chhattisgarh should wait for the third phase of data from Covaxin.
Replying to the charge of slow rate of vaccination of frontline workers in Chhattisgarh, Singh Deo said he felt the Central Minister did not have access to the correct data.
In Chhattisgarh 71.6 percent of health workers have been covered in the first phase of vaccination, he said. Frontline workers’ vaccination started 4 to 5 days back and by Friday we have vaccinated over 14 precent of them.
"One issue we face is vaccination of paramilitary forces. How they will receive vaccine is yet to be ascertained. Will they come to the health department or will we have to reach their camps?" he said.