Controversy Over Bharat Biotech’s COVID-19 Vaccine; Health Minister & Opposition Leaders Spar Over Efficacy

Health Minister Harsh Vardhan criticised Congress & other opposition leaders over their comments on Bharat Biotech's Covaxin. The vaccine was cleared for emergency use in the country along with the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine manufactured by the Serum Institute of India. Congress leaders Shashi Tharoor & Jairam Ramesh & Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav had pointed out that Covaxin lacked efficacy data to show the vaccine's effectiveness before it was approved for emergency use. Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said, “It is disgraceful for anyone to politicise such a critical issue.” The main controversy with its approval is that as per reports, its phase-3 has not been concluded, no data has been shared & results have not been published in any peer-reviewed journal. Meanwhile, Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine has undergone large-scale human trails (aka phase-3 trials), the data has been shared & results have been published in peer-reviewed journal.