(Photo : Photo by MANJUNATH KIRAN/AFP via Getty Images)
A medical staff inoculates a woman with a dose of the Covishield vaccine against Covid-19 coronavirus disease at the Ramaiah Hospital in Bangalore on October 21, 2021, as India administered its billionth Covid-19 vaccine dose on October 21, according to the health ministry, half a year after a devastating surge in cases brought the health system close to collapse.
The World Health Organization just approved the use of Indian drugmaker Bharat Biotech's Covaxin for emergencies.
According to reports, the World Health Organization ruled that the benefits of India's home-grown COVID-19 vaccine outweighed its possible risks.
But even before WHO approved Covaxin, India already started using it in January after it was given emergency-use authorization. At the time, the vaccine's late-stage trial hasn't been completed.
More information about India's Covaxin
It was later revealed that Covaxin has a 78 percent efficacy against severe COVID-19 cases.
The WHO's Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization recommends that Covaxin be used in two doses with an interval of one month in between jabs. For now, India's home-grown vaccine against COVID-19 can only be administered for individuals 18 years and older.
As of press writing, Covaxin has not received clearance for use among pregnant women.
Prior to WHO's recent approval, it was revealed that Bharat Biotech was subjected to multiple assessments since July 9.
A senior government official revealed that the WHO specifically asked Bharta Biotech to submit additional written information on Covaxin on nine different occasions.
According to The Indian Express, 38 countries that have bilateral agreements with India recognize Covaxin. The company has also administered over 11 billion doses in India alone.
The WHO's approval could also pave the way for Indians who were vaccinated with Covaxin to engage in overseas travel.
Covaxin could be exported to other countries
The WHO's recent approval can strengthen India's commitment to providing more supplies to the COVAX global vaccine sharing effort. And the country also hopes that its newly approved vaccine can be used in different parts of the world.
Bharat Biotech released a statement saying that they hope to manufacture 1 billion Covaxin doses by the end of 2021.
"It is important for Bharat Biotech to improve its production capacity to meet the improved demand for other countries following this approval," Prashant Khadayate, a pharma analyst at GlobalData said via CNN.
Prior to the approval, Covishield, the Indian-made version of AstraZeneca, was named as the most popular brand in the country. WHO also approved Covishield for use in India, but it took the United Kingdom quite some time to recognize the jab, according to the BBC.
India continues to export locally made vaccines
Two months ago, Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended the summit in Washington, where he discussed vaccine exportations.
At the time, the PM said that the country will start exporting vaccines globally in October after temporarily stopping in April due to the rising COVID-19 cases in India, according to the Washington Post.
Prior to the halt, India was able to donate 66 million doses to nearly 100 countries. This figure is expected to increase by the end of the fourth quarter since there are hopes that Covaxin will be exported to other parts of the world.
As of press writing, about 70 percent of Indians have already received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine so far. And approximately 253 million nationals are fully vaccinated.
Related Article: India Will Continue To Export Vaccines After Stopping in April To Prioritize Its Own Population
