Quick nod to homegrown vaccine seeds doubt
Concerns expressed over effectiveness of Bharat Biotech vaccine
As the director of a large hospital in Maharashtra that has seen the country’s most coronavirus cases, Dr S. P. Kalantri had been waiting for the day a vaccine would be approved and bring protection not only to his community but also himself.
But now he has his doubts about getting the shots after India took a regulatory shortcut to approve a vaccine by Bharat Biotech before late clinical trials showed it was effective in preventing illness from coronavirus infections.
Lack of transparency
“I’d rather wait and watch,” said Kalantri, who runs a hospital in Maharashtra state’s Wardha district.
He is not alone. Several groups and unions representing scientists and doctors have also expressed their concerns over scant evidence of the effectiveness of the vaccine.
Many scientists have said that approving a vaccine without evidence from late trials is risky and a lack of transparency in the approval process could increase vaccine hesitancy in the country.
The homegrown vaccine was one of two that India authorised for emergency use on January 3. The approval for the other — a version of the AstraZeneca vaccine made by the Serum Institute of India — was given on the basis of partial results from studies in Britain and Brazil that suggested itwas about 70 per cent effective at preventing illness from Covid19 infection.
Initially, a member of India’s Covid- 19 task force said that the Bharat Biotech vaccine would be a “backup”.
But on January 5, health officials said it would be given to people after getting their consent and ensuring more frequent follow- ups