Covishield has been one of the main Covid-19 vaccines used in India for inoculation. Around 90% population have got Covishield.
The Centre has ramped up door-to-door vaccination in order to achieve the target of 100 per cent vaccination of the eligible population who are supposed to receive the jab.
A CDSCO panel has also recommended restricted emergency use of anti-Covid pill Molnupiravir in India.
The cumulative doses administered in the country so far under the nationwide COVID-19 vaccination drive has exceeded 139.70 crore.
The DCGI office had granted SII permission to manufacture and stock Covovax on May 17.
Speaking about the Omicron variant, Poonawalla said, "On the back of enough data, it is safe to say that booster vaccine doses are a proven strategy to get antibodies up to a great extent".
A booster dose of COVID-19 vaccines, administered months after primary vaccination, is expected to augment immunity against the virus, including neutralizing capacity against the 'variants of concern'.
In an application to the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI), Prakash Kumar Singh, the Director, Government and Regulatory Affairs at Serum Institute of India (SII) cited that the UK's Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency has already approved the booster dose of AstraZeneca.
With Omicron raising concerns about Covid vaccines' efficacy, drugmakers are stress-testing existing jabs while also racing to prepare new formulas.
The vaccine maker has cumulatively produced 1.25 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines so far, a company statement said.
The government, earlier in October, had permitted the SII to export 10 lakh Covishield doses each to Nepal, Myanmar, and Bangladesh under the 'Vaccine Maitri' program.
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.
If the DCGI grants regular marketing authorisation, Covishield will be the second vaccine in the world to receive such approval. Pfizer-BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine has received full US FDA approval for use in individuals 16 years of age and older.
The Covishield vaccine, which has been developed by British-Swedish pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca, is manufactured in India by Pune-based Serum Institute of India.
SII has supplied 20.29 lakh doses of Covishield to Health Ministry in Sept as committed in Aug by Prakash Singh, Director, Govt and Regulatory Affairs at the Pune-based firm.
A man in Thane was mistakenly given an anti-rabies shot instead of Covid vaccine at a health centre.
Travellers who are not fully vaccinated, or vaccinated in a country such as India currently not on the UK government’s recognised list, must take a pre-departure test, pay for day two and day eight PCR tests after arrival in England and self-isolate for 10 days, with an option to "test to release" after five days following a negative PCR test.
India had on Tuesday warned of "reciprocal measures" if the UK does not address its concerns over the new travel rules relating to COVID-19 vaccine certification with Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla describing these norms as "discriminatory".
India on Tuesday had warned of "reciprocal measures" if the UK does not address its concerns over the new travel rules relating to COVID-19 vaccine certification with Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla describing these norms as "discriminatory".
Official sources said India will take reciprocal measures against travellers from the UK if its concerns are not addressed by October 4 when the new rules will come into effect.
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