With Omicron raising concerns about Covid vaccines' efficacy, drugmakers are stress-testing existing jabs while also racing to prepare new formulas.
Earlier last week, vaccine major Serum Institute of India had said that it has resumed exports of its vaccine Covishield to the international vaccine sharing program COVAX.
The results of the first real-world assessment of Covaxin published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases journal on Wednesday showed that two doses of the vaccine, also known as BBV152, are 50 per cent effective against the symptomatic disease.
2 doses of COVID vaccine Covaxin (BBV152) are 50 pc effective against symptomatic COVID disease, according to 1st real-world assessment of COVID vaccine published in the Lancet Infectious Diseases journal.
Researchers noted that Delta variant was the dominant strain in India during the study period, accounting for approximately 80 pc of all confirmed COVID cases.
The step will benefit more fully vaccinated Indians planning travel to the UK without the need for a pre-departure PCR test or self-isolation at the address declared on their compulsory Passenger Locator Forms.
Additionally, starting Jan 15, certain groups of travellers, who are currently exempt from entry requirements, will only be allowed to enter Canada if they are fully vaccinated.
The approval comes days after Covaxin received the emergency use listing from WHO.
Recently, WHO granted emergency use listing to Covaxin enabling countries to expedite their regulatory approval to import and administer doses.
Bharat Biotech Chairman and MD Krishna Ella said that the company is looking at nasal vaccine as a booster dose as its scaling up capacity is very easy when compared with Covaxin.
On November 3, the World Health Organisation (WHO) had granted emergency use approval for Covaxin.
The Union Health Minister also informed that under 'Har ghar dastak', healthcare workers are going to all houses to carry out the vaccination drive. 96 countries have recognised Covaxin & Covishield. People can see the list via CoWIN app.
Covishield, the India-manufactured Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, was added to the UK's approved list last month.
Bharat Biotech's Covaxin and AstraZeneca and Serum Institute's Covishield are the two widely used vaccines in India.
Today is a big day for 137 crore Indians. The indigenous 'Made in India' vaccine - Covaxin has been approved by WHO. This is the biggest good news before Diwali. Some people are still avoiding the vaccine. However, this is the biggest present ahead of Diwali.
Technical Advisory Group, convened by WHO and made up of regulatory experts from around the world, has determined that Covaxin vaccine meets WHO standards for protection against COVID, that benefit of the vaccine far outweighs risks and the vaccine can be used across the world," the world health body said.
In a tweet, Bharat Biotech said, "The CDSCO has approved the extension of shelf life of Covaxin up to 12 months, from the date of manufacture. This approval of shelf life extension is based on the availability of additional stability data, which was submitted to CDSCO."
Meanwhile, Covaxin is yet to receive approval from the World Health Organisation, which last week said it expects to receive clarifications from Bharat Biotech.
Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech, which has developed Covaxin, had submitted EOI to WHO on April 19 for the vaccine's Emergency Use Listing.
Though Covaxin has been added in the Oman approval list, however, Bharat Biotech is still awaiting its vaccine's approval from the World Health Organization (WHO), which on Tuesday sought additional data to decide on much-awaited Emergency Use Listing (EUL).
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