Decision on Covaxin to be expected within 24 hours: WHO official

Mumbai: A World Health Organisation (WHO) official on Tuesday indicated that a decision on granting Emergency Use Listing (EUL) for Indian made Covid-19 vaccine, Covaxin, could be issued within the next 24 hours. The vaccine is being evaluated by a technical committee, leading to hopes that an authorisation would ensue soon.

World Health Organisation (WHO) spokesperson Dr. Margaret Harris said, “On Covaxin, the technical advisory group that reviews all data for a potential EUL are reviewing that data today. Now if all is in place and all goes well and if the committee is satisfied, we would expect a recommendation within next 24 hours or so.”

The EUL will make it possible for those administered with Covaxin, made by Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech, to travel internationally without facing restrictions from certain countries.

Covaxin, India’s first indigenous COVID-19 vaccine, has been developed by Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).

Bharat Biotech has been submitting data to WHO on a rolling basis and submitted additional information at WHO’s request on September 27.

The WHO last week had said a vaccine recommended by it for emergency use must be evaluated thoroughly.

“We are aware that many people are waiting for WHO’s recommendation for Covaxin to be included in the COVID19 Emergency Use Listing, but we cannot cut corners – before recommending a product for emergency use, we must evaluate it thoroughly to make sure it is safe and effective,” the organisation had said.

The WHO had said that the timeframe for the WHO Emergency Use Listing procedure depends on how quickly a company producing the vaccine is able to provide the required data.