Awaiting more information on Covaxin: WHO

The World Health Organization (WHO) on Monday said it cannot cut corners to recommend Covaxin’s inclusion in the Emergency Use Listing (EUL) for vaccination against coronavirus disease (Covid-19). The UN health agency said it is expecting one additional piece of information from Covaxin manufacturer, Bharat Biotech, which has been submitting data to the WHO on a rolling basis.

“We are aware 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 WHO said in a series of tweets.

The WHO’s nod for Covaxin’s emergency use authorisation is necessary for its widespread acceptability as a safe and effective vaccine. “The timeframe for the WHO Emergency Use Listing procedure is dependent on how quickly a company producing the vaccine is able to provide the data required for WHO to evaluate the vaccine’s quality, safety, efficacy and its suitability for low- and middle-income countries,” the WHO tweeted.