Canada yet to recognise Covaxin

Canada yet to recognise Covaxin

Saurabh.Sinha@timesgroup.com

New Delhi:  06.11.2021

Canada is yet to recognise Covaxin even after World Health Organisation (WHO) gave emergency use listing for Bharat Biotech’s Covid jab.

A spokesperson of the Canadian high commission in Delhi on Friday night said the accepted Covid-19 vaccines by the country are: Pfizer-BioNTech (Comirnaty, tozinameran, BNT162b2); Moderna (Spikevax, mRNA-1273); AstraZeneca/Covishield (ChAdOx1-S, Vaxzevria, AZD1222) and Janssen/Johnson & Johnson (Ad26.COV2.S). The list does not include Covaxin.

Responding to a TOI query on Covaxin, the spokesperson said: “Covid-19 drug and vaccine submissions are prioritised and reviewed on an expedited timeline, above the usual performance standards, without compromising safety, efficacy and quality standards, due to the public health need… Timing for the completion of Health Canada’s review depends on many factors, including but not limited to a need for additional data, discussions with the sponsor, and requirements for updates to safety information.”

Delhi-based Dr Arvind Kumarsaid, “Vaccines are medicines developed by scientists for the good of humanity. Their use should be above any political or geographical considerations. Denying the benefit of these vaccines as a means of restoring a semblance of normalcy in today’s pandemic-infested world, nullifies the great work being done by our scientists. This should be avoided. We in the fraternity look forward to a day when the world’s vaccine pool is used for the good of humanity without any bias.”