On 16 January 2021, the government of India launched an ambitious programme to vaccinate millions of Indians against COVID-19. In a televised message, the Prime Minister claimed that India is launching the world’s largest vaccination programme to fight COVID-19.
Days before the vaccination programme rolled out, regulators approved the use of Covaxin, a vaccine developed by the Hyderabad based company, Bharat Biotech. In his televised message, the Prime Minister claimed that India will be launching an “Indian-developed” vaccine simultaneously with Covishield, a local version of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccination.
However, India’s regulators issued permissions to roll out Covaxin without completing Phase 3 trials. The lack of data could potentially turn out to be dangerous for those receiving the vaccine. Consequently, scientists and public health experts expressed doubts about its efficacy.
As a result of hurried ‘vaccine nationalism,’ just days after India started the ambitious drive to vaccinate millions of healthcare workers against COVID-19, the programme has been afflicted with a deepening suspicion of the homegrown vaccine.
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