Geneva, Nov 3 (FN Bureau) World Health Organization (WHO) Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Wednesday said he was glad to see India’s Covaxin get WHO approval for Emergency Use Listing (EUL). In a tweet, the WHO chief said: “Glad to see one more vaccine, #Covaxin, being granted @WHO emergency use listing. “The more products we have to fight #COVID19, the better, but we must keep up the pressure to deliver #VaccinEquity and prioritize access to vulnerable groups who are still waiting for their 1st dose,” he posted. Separately, Gabby Stern, WHO’s Director of Communications, in a tweet sought to reject speculation that the green light for Covaxin came after a meeting between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the WHO chief Ghebreyesus on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Rome. “Hi, @WHO’s process for assessing #COVID19 vaccines for emergency use listing is rigorous, scientific and standardized. It involves outside experts on a technical advisory group who review data from manufacturers and others to ensure efficacy and safety. Thanks!”, Stern said tagging a tweet that suggested the Modi-Ghebreyesus meeting led to the approval for Covaxin.
In reply to an Indian tweeter asking how the WHO had given approval to China’s vaccines “within 10 days of application”, he wrote: “Hi, 10 days is not accurate for any of the #COVID19 vaccines which were assessed for emergency use listing by the technical advisory group. Indeed, the assessment of #Covaxin has taken less time than several other vaccines. Some took more than 3 months.” Earlier on Wednesday, the WHO granted Emergency Use Listing for Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin and added it to the list of vaccines validated by it for the prevention of Covid-19. “WHO has granted emergency use listing (EUL) to COVAXIN® (developed by Bharat Biotech), adding to a growing portfolio of vaccines validated by WHO for the prevention of Covid-19,” the WHO said in a tweet.