Manama, Nov 12 (FN Bureau) The Kingdom of Bahrain’s National Health Regulatory Authority (NHRA) has approved the emergency use of the Covid-19 vaccination, Covaxin, produced by Indian multinational biotechnology company Bharat Biotech. Covaxin, an inactivated vaccine, was recently approved by the World Health Organization, and will be available in Bahrain for those aged 18 years and above, the Bahrain News Agency said.
The decision follows the careful evaluation of data provided by the manufacturer, Bharath Biotech India, carried out by the NHRA’s Clinical Trials Committee and the Ministry of Health’s Immunization Committee. More than 26,000 people participated in the vaccine’s clinical trials, which established that the two-dose regimen vaccine is 77.8% effective against COVID-19, and 93.4% effective against severe cases of COVID-19. Safety data indicated a low incidence of adverse effects, it said. The Embassy of India said all passengers travelling from India to Bahrain, having valid vaccination certificates issued in India with a scannable QR code, for vaccines approved by the WHO or by the Kingdom of Bahrain, will be exempted from the 10 days mandatory quarantine as well as pre-arrival negative RTPCR certificate.