New Delhi (NVI): The World Health Organisation (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Gheberyesus today praised India’s coronavirus vaccine efforts and said India continues to show its resolve to end the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a tweet, the WHO chief said, “India continues to take decisive action and demonstrate its resolve to end COVID-19 pandemic. As the world’s largest vaccine producer it’s well placed to do so.”
He also tagged Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said, “If we ACTogether, we can ensure effective and safe vaccines are used to protect the most vulnerable everywhere @narendramodi.”
#India continues to take decisive action & demonstrate its resolve to end #COVID19 pandemic. As the ?’s largest vaccine producer it’s well placed to do so.
If we #ACTogether, we can ensure effective & safe vaccines are used to protect the most vulnerable everywhere @narendramodi— Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) January 4, 2021
This statement from WHO chief comes after India on December 3 approved two coronavirus vaccines for emergency use—Bharat Biotech-ICMR’s ‘Covaxin’ and ‘Covishield’ manufactured by Pune’s Serum Institute and developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University.
The Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech is setting up four manufacturing facilities, which have a combined capacity of 700 million vaccine doses per annum after receiving emergency use authorisation.
Meanwhile, the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) has approved Ahmedabad-based Cadila Healthcare the permission to conduct the Phase III clinical trial of its vaccine candidate ‘Zy-CoVD’ in India.
The country has also secured authorisation to mass-produce the AstraZeneca, Novavax and Gamaleya Research Institute vaccines.
However, India has one of the largest vaccine manufacturing capacities in the world which includes the largest vaccine producer – Serum Institute of India.
-RJV
